muscle tone
8
3.4
- noun
- /ˈmʌsəl toʊn/
- Specialized
:
tono muscular
- In a neurological examination, we systematically study muscle tone, mass, and strength.
- loss of muscle tone
- muscle tone and strength
- improve muscle tone
And she, her mother comes running in and grabs her calves and said, your muscle tone has returned.
- And she, her mother comes running in and grabs her calves and said, your muscle tone has returned.
- A person with weak muscle tone then asks that person with weak muscle tone to cough.
- Without it, your your heart health suffers, your memory suffers, your alertness suffers, your muscle tone, your body fat percentage, all these things worsen.
- Building muscle tone I don't want to talk about building muscle tone around being slim or being about fear or how your body looks.
- But for the most part, muscle tone has also dropped significantly at that point.
Examples
-
To illustrate, consider a student with low muscle tone who is working at a station that focuses on the handstand.
Academic text (1996) -
After months of training, her muscle tone became noticeably firmer and more defined.
-
But for the most part, muscle tone has also dropped significantly at that point.
-
Her muscle tone is quite outstanding.
-
We need much better muscle tone, joint flexibility, and less risk for injury.
-
You have exceptional muscle tone there, young man.
-
However, prolonged use may lead to loss of muscle tone and function.
Academic text (2005) -
Lose weight and improve muscle tone without spending hours in the gym.
Blog text (32) -
During the months I'd been lifting weights, my muscle tone had improved and my strength had increased.
Fiction book (2001) -
We need the p59 exercise, and dancing is the most healthful way of maintaining muscle tone and arterial circulation.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
17
6.8
The normal level of tightness in muscles that lets them move and respond
1
9.9
Normal slight tightness in muscles that helps them respond to movement
A slight constant tension in muscles that helps hold posture and keep joints stable
Antonyms
How Tense
- Specialized
2
9.4
- Specialized
3
6.0
- Specialized
8
3.4
1
9.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'muscle' (body tissue that produces movement) + 'tone' (baseline muscular tension); together they describe the baseline firmness of muscles. This is a technical but transparent compound found across languages (e.g., Spanish 'tono muscular'), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Muscle tone comes from the simple idea of muscles holding a small, constant tension that doctors and therapists can feel by touch. The word muscle points to the body part and tone here means that gentle 'tension' or 'firmness', so 'muscle tone' describes how 'ready' muscles are for movement.