English word origin

Etymology of tonus

Borrowed from Latin tonus (“strain, tension”). Doublet of tone, tune, and ton (fashion/style).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

tonicity; tone · A tonal system or mode used in Gregorian chant.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin tonus (“strain, tension”). Doublet of tone, tune, and ton (fashion/style).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*ten-ine-pro
Borrowed-form mentiontonusla · strain, tension
Doublet mentiontoneen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ten-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "tonus",
        "t": "strain, tension"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin tonus (“strain, tension”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tone",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "tone"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tonus",
      "tonus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "tone",
      "tone#English"
    ],
    [
      "tune",
      "tune"
    ],
    [
      "ton",
      "ton"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "tonicity; tone",
        "A tonal system or mode used in Gregorian chant."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "752e0ce4d865f131408a16c5c92e7d07a6a7787561fae3040e59b2972b2a44dc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f354c4a1bb2a3136e1f79f4abb3454f89046b5f0d674e30d6f58a06f246975b7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 487445
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for tonus →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-dG9udXM