enharmonic

[ en-hahr-mon-ik ]

/ ˌɛn hɑrˈmɒn ɪk /

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adjective Music.

having the same pitch in the tempered scale but written in different notation, as G sharp and A flat.

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Origin of enharmonic

1590–1600; <Late Latin enharmonicus<Greek enarmónios (-icus replacing -ios), equivalent to en-en-¹ + harmoní(a) harmony + -os adj. suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM enharmonic

en·har·mon·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby enharmonic

enhance, enhanced oil recovery, enhanced radiation weapon, enhancement, enhancer, enharmonic, enharmonic modulation, enhearten, Enid, enigma, enigmatic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use enharmonic in a sentence

He does not however say, as he does in the case of the Enharmonic scale, that these species were known by the names of the Keys.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
The special fitness of the notation for the scales of the Enharmonic genus may be regarded as a further indication of its date.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
This seems to bear out the common view of the Enharmonic as produced by the introduction of an 'accidental' or passing note.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
Along with this change we have to note the comparative disuse of the Enharmonic and Chromatic divisions of the tetrachord.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro

In the enharmonic, the tetrachord consists of two tones and two "dieses."
Ten Books on Architecture|Vitruvius

British Dictionary definitions for enharmonic

enharmonic

/ (ˌɛnhɑːˈmɒnɪk) /

adjective music

denoting or relating to a small difference in pitch between two notes such as A flat and G sharp: not present in instruments of equal temperament such as the piano, but significant in the intonation of stringed and wind instruments

denoting or relating to enharmonic modulation

Derived forms of enharmonic

enharmonically, adverb

Word Origin for enharmonic

C17: from Latin enharmonicus, from Greek enarmonios, from en- ² + harmonia; see harmony

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012