hypotonic

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *upó

Ancient Greek ῠ̔πό (hŭpó)

Ancient Greek ὑπο- (hupo-)der.

English hypo-

Proto-Indo-European *ten-

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *tónos

Proto-Hellenic *tónos

Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos)

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Ancient Greek -κός (-kós)

Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós)

Ancient Greek τονῐκός (tonĭkós)

English tonic

English hypotonic

From hypo- + tonic.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /hʌɪpə(ʊ)ˈtɒnɪk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /haɪpəˈtɑnɪk/, /haɪpoʊˈtɑnɪk/

Adjective

hypotonic (comparative more hypotonic, superlative most hypotonic)

1. (of a solution) Having a lower osmotic pressure than another.
2. (medicine) Showing less than normal tension in the muscles or muscle tissue.
   • 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 1053:

     But always he went the full length, crying until he was completely exhausted, worn out, hypotonic.

Antonyms

• hypertonic

Derived terms

• hypotonically
• hypotonicity

Translations

having a lower osmotic pressure than another

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 低渗 (zh) (dīshèn)

• Czech: hypotonický m
• German: hypoton, hypotonisch
• Portuguese: hipotônico (pt) m, hipotónico (pt) m
• Russian: гипотони́ческий (ru) (gipotoníčeskij)
• Turkish: hipotonik

See also

• isotonic

Anagrams

• typhoonic