harmonic
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.a higher, softer sound that happens at the same time as a main musical note.
n.a component frequency of a complex signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency.
Simple“The guitar player touched the string lightly to produce a clear, ringing harmonic.”
In context“By lightly touching the string at its midpoint, the cellist isolated the first harmonic, producing a tone exactly one octave above the open string.”
UsageOften used in the plural when discussing the rich quality of a sound.
Synonymsovertonepartial - 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a specific type of mathematical function used to study shapes or waves.
n.a function that satisfies Laplace's equation, often used in the study of potentials and spherical masses.
Simple“The professor explained how to use a spherical harmonic to solve the physics problem.”
In context“The researcher applied spherical harmonics to model the gravitational potential of the irregularly shaped asteroid.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.sounding very pleasant, peaceful, or beautiful together.
adj.characterised by harmony; pleasing to the ear through the combination of simultaneous notes.
Simple“The choir filled the church with a beautiful harmonic sound.”
In context“The composer's later works moved away from traditional harmonic structures toward a more dissonant, experimental style.”
SynonymsAntonymsdissonantdiscordant - 04 C2 Proficiency
adj.describing how certain sounds in a word must match each other.
adj.relating to vowel harmony, where vowels within a word must belong to the same class, such as front or back vowels.
Simple“Turkish is a language known for its harmonic vowel system.”
In context“The suffix changes its form to maintain harmonic balance with the root word's final vowel.”
From Latin harmonicus, from Ancient Greek ἁρμονικός (harmonikós), from ἁρμονία (harmonía, “harmony”). By surface analysis, harmony + -ic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.