harmonics

[hahr-mon-iks] /hɑrˈmɒn ɪks/

noun, Music.

(used with a singular verb) the science of musical sounds.

(used with a plural verb) the partials or overtones of a fundamental tone.

Compare overtone (def 1).

(used with a plural verb) the flageoletlike tones of a string, as a violin string, made to vibrate so as to bring out an overtone.

Origin of harmonics

1700-10; see harmonic, -ics

harmonic

[hahr-mon-ik] /hɑrˈmɒn ɪk/

adjective

pertaining to harmony, as distinguished from melody and rhythm.

marked by harmony; in harmony; concordant; consonant.

Physics. of, relating to, or noting a series of oscillations in which each oscillation has a frequency that is an integral multiple of the same basic frequency.

Mathematics.

(of a set of values) related in a manner analogous to the frequencies of tones that are consonant.
capable of being represented by sine and cosine functions.
(of a function) satisfying the Laplace equation.

noun

Music. overtone (def 1).

Physics. a single oscillation whose frequency is an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency.

Origin

1560-70; < Latin harmonicus < Greek harmonikós musical, suitable. See harmony, -ic

Related forms

harmonically, adverb

harmonicalness, noun

nonharmonic, adjective

unharmonic, adjective

unharmonically, adverb

Examples from the web for harmonics

The second is a series of flutelike harmonics, which resonate high above the drone.
It contains a fundamental frequency wave, with harmonics superimposed upon it.
Two power quality issues are examined in this paper: harmonics and voltage regulation.
If these harmonics are not accounted for in power measurement, the result will be inaccurate.

British Dictionary definitions for harmonics

harmonics

/hɑːˈmɒnɪks/

noun

(functioning as sing) the science of musical sounds and their acoustic properties

(functioning as pl) the overtones of a fundamental note, as produced by lightly touching the string of a stringed instrument at one of its node points while playing See harmonic (sense 6)

harmonic

/hɑːˈmɒnɪk/

adjective

of, involving, producing, or characterized by harmony; harmonious

(music) of, relating to, or belonging to harmony

(maths)

capable of expression in the form of sine and cosine functions
of or relating to numbers whose reciprocals form an arithmetic progression

(physics) of or concerned with an oscillation that has a frequency that is an integral multiple of a fundamental frequency

(physics) of or concerned with harmonics

noun

(physics, music) a component of a periodic quantity, such as a musical tone, with a frequency that is an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency. The first harmonic is the fundamental, the second harmonic (twice the fundamental frequency) is the first overtone, the third harmonic (three times the fundamental frequency) is the second overtone, etc

(music) (not in technical use) overtone: in this case, the first overtone is the first harmonic, etc

harmonic

adj.

1560s, "relating to music;" earlier (c.1500) armonical "tuneful, harmonious," from Latin harmonicus, from Greek harmonikos "harmonic, musical, skilled in music," from harmonia (see harmony). Meaning "relating to harmony" is from 1660s. The noun, short for harmionic tone, is recorded from 1777.

harmonics in Science

harmonic

  (här-mŏn'ĭk)

Noun  Periodic motion whose frequency is a whole-number multiple of some fundamental frequency. The motion of objects or substances that vibrate or oscillate in a regular fashion, such as the strings of musical instruments, can be analyzed as a combination of a fundamental frequency and higher harmonics. ◇ Harmonics above the first harmonic (the fundamental frequency) in sound waves are called overtones. The first overtone is the second harmonic, the second overtone is the third harmonic, and so on.

Adjective  Related to or having the properties of such periodic motion.