Etymology From Latin harmonicus, from Ancient Greek ἁρμονικός (harmonikós), from ἁρμονία (harmonía, “harmony”). By surface analysis, harmony + -ic. Doublet of armónico.
1
Pertaining to harmony.
2
Pleasant to hear; harmonious; melodious.
harmonic twang of leather, horn, and brass.1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC:
3
Mathematics, Sciences Used to characterize various mathematical entities or relationships supposed to bear some resemblance to musical consonance.
The harmonic polar line of an inflection point of a cubic curve is the component of the polar conic other than the tangent line.
4
Recurring periodically.
5
Human sciences, Linguistics, Phonology, Sciences Exhibiting or applying constraints on what vowels (e.g. front/back vowels only) may be found near each other and sometimes in the entire word.
6
Of or relating to a generation an even number of generations distant from a particular person.
Australianist linguistics
A person is harmonic with respect to members of his own generation and with respect to members of all even-numbered generations counting away from his own (e.g., his grandparents' generation, his grandchildren's generation, etc.).1966, Kenneth Hale, Kinship Reflections in Syntax: Some Australian languages:
Etymology From Latin harmonicus, from Ancient Greek ἁρμονικός (harmonikós), from ἁρμονία (harmonía, “harmony”). By surface analysis, harmony + -ic. Doublet of armónico.
1
Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics A component frequency of the signal of a wave that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency.
2
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music The place where, on a bowed string instrument, a note in the harmonic series of a particular string can be played without the fundamental present.
3
Mathematics, Sciences One of a class of functions that enter into the development of the potential of a nearly spherical mass due to its attraction.
4
One's child.
Games for the harmonics, (children), YL's and XYL's and the OM's, plus free soda for all.1967, CQ: the Radio Amateur's Journal, volume 23, numbers 7-12, page 140:
The harmonics (kids, I mean) sometimes failed to recognize me on the rare occasions when I emerged from the shack […]1988, Amateur Radio, volume 44, numbers 1-6, page 38: