Etymograph

English

tonus

Tonus comes from Latin tonus ‘strain, tension’, from Ancient Greek τόνος ‘tone’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘stretch’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-1‘stretch’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tón-os1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tónos1‘rope, cord’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτόνος1‘tone’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtonus2‘strain, tension’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1942tonus2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin tonus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English tonus
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1942, Myrtle Gladys Scott, Analysis of Human Motion: A Textbook in Kinesiology: “The amount of stretch possible increases with the range…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, Latin tonus‘stretch’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tón-osWiktionary, Latin tonusreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tónosWiktionary, Latin tonus‘rope, cord’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτόνοςWiktionary, Latin tonus‘tone’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtonusWiktionary, English tonus‘strain, tension’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1942tonusWiktionary, English tonus. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1942, Myrtle Gladys Scott, Analysis of Human Motion: A Textbook in Kinesiology: “The amount of stretch possible increases with the range…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘stretch’

content, continue, entertainment, tight, maintenance, obtain, tennis, contain, retain, tender, continent, tenant, detention, sustain, continuous, retention, tenor, rein, pertinent, pristine, detain, abstinence, tenacity, abstain, tendon, continuum, tenet, countenance, pertain, tenement, tenacious, sustenance, incontinence, tantra, tenable, retinue, maintainer, tetanus, tendinitis, abstention, 67 more

through Ancient Greek τόνος ‘tone’

tonic, peritoneum, 11 more

through Latin tonus ‘strain, tension’

tune, tone, ton, 1 more

Today it means

noun tonicity; tone

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tonus”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin tonus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / tonus

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