harmonics

American  

[hahr-mon-iks] / hɑrˈmɒn ɪks /

noun

Music.

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

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

3. (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.

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harmonics British  

/ hɑːˈmɒnɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the science of musical sounds and their acoustic properties

2. (functioning as plural) 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

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Etymology

Origin of harmonics

First recorded in 1700–10; harmonic, -ics

Example Sentences

Instead of one sharp signal, multiple evenly spaced lines emerge, similar to how a pure tone can split into harmonics.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

Bryce Dessner’s recent Violin Concerto was dominated by soloist Pekka Kuusisto’s vivid bowing, creating astonishing acoustical effects with harmonics.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025

“There’s something that happens when you lock in to somebody and all the harmonics ping,” says Sting backup singer Jo Lawry.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2024

"We can clearly distinguish between samples with and without SPEs, and we can now explain how the observed harmonics are responsible for a wide range of single photon emitters."

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2024

What this technique does is eke out as many as possible of the sympathetic resonances, or harmonics, latent in the reverberating strings, thus imitating the natural harmonics found in plucked strings and struck metal bars.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• arrangement
• chord
• composition
• melody
• tune
• unity