a tone that is a component of a complex sound
"The harmonic in question was the second overtone that gave the guitar string its warm, resonant quality."
any of a series of musical tones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental
"The instrument produces a harmonic when it generates a tone at twice the frequency of its fundamental pitch."
A component frequency of the signal of a wave that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency.
"The audio engineer adjusted the filter to suppress the fifth harmonic, which was causing an unwanted buzzing sound in the output."
In plain English: A harmonic is any sound that vibrates at a frequency related to another note, creating a pleasant musical chord when played together.
"The guitar player tuned her strings to find their perfect harmonic."
Usage: Use this term specifically in acoustics, music theory, and physics to describe frequencies related to a fundamental tone; avoid using it metaphorically for general harmony unless your audience shares technical expertise. SKIP
of or relating to harmony as distinct from melody and rhythm
"subtleties of harmonic change and tonality"
of or relating to harmonics
"The engineer adjusted the harmonic content of the audio signal to eliminate unwanted distortion."
of or relating to the branch of acoustics that studies the composition of musical sounds
"the sound of the resonating cavity cannot be the only determinant of the harmonic response"
relating to vibrations that occur as a result of vibrations in a nearby body
"sympathetic vibration"
involving or characterized by harmony
"The choir performed a harmonic rendition of the hymn that moved everyone in the audience to tears."
pertaining to harmony
"The harmonic blend of violins and cellos created a soothing atmosphere in the concert hall."
The word harmonic comes from the Latin harmonicus, which was borrowed from Ancient Greek to mean "pertaining to harmony." It entered English with this same meaning of relating to musical concord or mathematical ratios.