harmonic
UK[hɑːˈmɒnɪk]US[hɑːrˈmɑːnɪk]
adj
relating to or characterized by harmony; pleasing to the ear.
adj
of or relating to a harmonic or harmonics.
n
an overtone accompanying a fundamental tone at a fixed interval, produced by vibration of a string, column of air, etc. in an exact fraction of its length.
Morpheme Breakdown
harmoni
ic
harmoni
harmony
ic
adjective-forming suffix
Etymology
the word 'harmonic' traces its lineage to the greek noun 'harmonia', signifying a joining, agreement, or concord, particularly in music. this term passed into latin unchanged and entered english via old french. the adjectival suffix '-ic', of greek origin, was appended to denote 'pertaining to harmony'. thus, the literal construction 'pertaining to a fitting together' evolved to specifically describe the pleasing consonance of musical sounds and the mathematical relationships between their frequencies, capturing the abstract concept of orderly and agreeable combination.
Analysis
Structure: harmoni (harmony) + ic (adjective-forming suffix)
harmoni: from latin 'harmonia', meaning a fitting together, agreement, harmony. ic: a suffix of greek origin via latin '-icus', forming adjectives meaning 'of or pertaining to'.
Examples
the piece featured a beautifully harmonic progression of chords.
the physicist explained the principle of harmonic motion in the spring.
the first harmonic is also known as the fundamental frequency.