Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having less than normal tone or tension, as of muscles or arteries.
  • adjective Chemistry Having the lower osmotic pressure of two solutions.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Less than isotonic; specifically, noting a solution of salt when it contains a smaller amount than a second solution with which it is compared: applied in this sense to the blood-serum. Also hypisotonic.
  • Reducing tension or tone in a part or in the body in general.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective of a solution Having a lower osmotic pressure than another.
  • adjective medicine Showing less than normal tension in the muscles or muscle tissue.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (of a solution) having a lower osmotic pressure than a comparison solution
  • adjective (of living tissue) lacking normal tone or tension

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From hypo- +‎ tonic.

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