harmonium

American  

[hahr-moh-nee-uhm] / hɑrˈmoʊ ni əm /

noun

1. an organlike keyboard instrument with small metal reeds and a pair of bellows operated by the player's feet.

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harmonium British  

/ hɑːˈməʊnɪəm /

noun

1. a musical keyboard instrument of the reed organ family, in which air from pedal-operated bellows causes the reeds to vibrate

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Etymology

Origin of harmonium

1840–50; Latinization of Greek harmónion, neuter of harmónios harmonious

Example Sentences

The mixture of two pianos and harmonium creates a timbre that somehow manages to seem both eerie and comfortable, and the silences that surround the sounds are as important as the sounds themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Singh's first teacher, Birendra Prasad Hazari, recalled him as a toddler at the local music school, eyes fixed on the harmonium before he could even pronounce the notes.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

He showed Reuters video clips of him playing the harmonium and rubab, a string instrument, some of which were on social media.

From Reuters • Nov. 9, 2023

He did so on a recent Sunday at the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha in Fresno, California, seated cross-legged on a dais in the temple’s prayer hall playing a harmonium.

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2023

There should have been other musicians—a flautist, a harmonium player, but we could not afford these.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya