HARMONIC

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does harmonic mean? 

• HARMONIC (noun)
  The noun HARMONIC has 2 senses:

1. a tone that is a component of a complex sound

2. any of a series of musical tones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental

  Familiarity information: HARMONIC used as a noun is rare.

• HARMONIC (adjective)
  The adjective HARMONIC has 5 senses:

1. of or relating to harmony as distinct from melody and rhythm

2. of or relating to harmonics

3. of or relating to the branch of acoustics that studies the composition of musical sounds

4. relating to vibrations that occur as a result of vibrations in a nearby body

5. involving or characterized by harmony

  Familiarity information: HARMONIC used as an adjective is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HARMONIC (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A tone that is a component of a complex sound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("harmonic" is a kind of...):

pure tone; tone (a steady sound without overtones)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "harmonic"):

first harmonic; fundamental; fundamental frequency (the lowest tone of a harmonic series)

overtone; partial; partial tone (a harmonic with a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency)

Derivation:

harmonic (of or relating to harmonics)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any of a series of musical tones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("harmonic" is a kind of...):

quality; timber; timbre; tone ((music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound))

Derivation:

harmonic (of or relating to harmonics)

• HARMONIC (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to harmony as distinct from melody and rhythm

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

subtleties of harmonic change and tonality

Antonym:

nonharmonic (not harmonic)

Pertainym:

harmony (the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords)

Derivation:

harmony (an agreeable sound property)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of or relating to harmonics

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Pertainym:

harmonic (any of a series of musical tones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental)

Derivation:

harmonic (any of a series of musical tones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental)

harmonic (a tone that is a component of a complex sound)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Of or relating to the branch of acoustics that studies the composition of musical sounds

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

the sound of the resonating cavity cannot be the only determinant of the harmonic response

Pertainym:

harmonics (the study of musical sound)

Derivation:

harmony (the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Relating to vibrations that occur as a result of vibrations in a nearby body

Synonyms:

harmonic; sympathetic

Context example:

sympathetic vibration

Similar:

harmonious (musically pleasing)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Involving or characterized by harmony

Synonyms:

consonant; harmonic; harmonical; harmonised; harmonized

Similar:

harmonious (musically pleasing)

Derivation:

harmony (a harmonious state of things in general and of their properties (as of colors and sounds); congruity of parts with one another and with the whole)

 Context examples 

This is due to a physical phenomenon called optical harmonic generation, which is characteristic of nonlinear materials.

(Graphene paves the way to faster high-speed communications, University of Cambridge)

The researchers played a series of harmonic sounds, or tones, to healthy volunteers and monkeys.

(Our brains appear uniquely tuned for musical pitch, National Institutes of Health)

The club received him with transport, and held an harmonic meeting that evening in his honour; while Mrs. Micawber and I had a lamb's fry in private, surrounded by the sleeping family.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Our work shows that the third harmonic generation efficiency in graphene can be increased by over 10 times by tuning an applied electric field, said lead author Giancarlo Soavi, of the Cambridge Graphene Centre.

(Graphene paves the way to faster high-speed communications, University of Cambridge)

In the eternal search for understanding what makes us human, scientists found that our brains are more sensitive to pitch, the harmonic sounds we hear when listening to music, than our evolutionary relative the macaque monkey.

(Our brains appear uniquely tuned for musical pitch, National Institutes of Health)