Harmonic
/hɑːrˈmɒnɪk/
Definitions
2 meaningsRelating to musical harmony or the production of pleasing sounds; characterized by the combination of notes or sounds.
/hɑːrˈmɒnɪk/
Relating to harmony, especially in music.
The orchestra produced a beautiful harmonic sound.
💡 Simply: Imagine a beautiful song where all the notes sound good together. That's harmonic! It means things sound pleasant and balanced, especially in music.
👶 For kids: When things sound nice together in music, like when a song sounds good, it's harmonic!
More Examples
The painter used harmonic colors to create a sense of balance.
A harmonic progression is a sequence of chords that sounds pleasing.
How It's Used
"A harmonic chord consists of consonant intervals."
"The harmonic motion of a pendulum."
A component frequency of a periodic waveform; a multiple of the fundamental frequency.
/hɑːrˈmɒnɪk/
A component frequency of a periodic waveform.
The Fourier analysis decomposes a waveform into its harmonics.
💡 Simply: Imagine a sound made up of different parts, like adding spices to a recipe. Each 'part' of the sound is a harmonic.
👶 For kids: In music or sounds, a harmonic is a tiny part that makes up a bigger sound. Like adding a little extra sprinkle to a cupcake.
More Examples
The speaker emitted a range of audible harmonics.
The instrument's tone was rich due to the presence of higher harmonics.
How It's Used
"The third harmonic of a vibrating string has a frequency three times that of its fundamental frequency."
"The overtones of a musical instrument are harmonics."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
harmonic mean
A type of average used to calculate an average rate or ratio.
"The harmonic mean is often used when calculating average speeds."
From Greek *harmonikos* 'harmonious', from *harmos* 'joint, harmony'. The word's meaning has developed to encompass both musical and mathematical contexts.
Used in musical theory and acoustics for centuries, with an increasing use in mathematics and physics in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Memory tip
Think of a 'harmonious' blend of sounds to remember harmonic.
Word Origin
"joint, harmony"