nonharmonic
|non-har-mon-ic|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑn.hɑrˈmɑnɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒn.hɑːˈmɒnɪk/
not harmonic; not fitting the harmonic structure
Etymology
'nonharmonic' is formed from the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') + 'harmonic' (from Greek 'harmonikos' via Latin/Old French), where 'harmonic' relates to 'harmonia' meaning 'agreement' or 'joined sounding'.
'harmonic' originated from Greek 'harmōnia'/'harmonikos', passed into Latin and Old French, then into Middle English as 'harmonic' or similar forms; adding the prefix 'non-' (modern English formation) produced 'nonharmonic' in modern English usage to mean 'not harmonic'.
Originally, 'harmonic' referred to agreement or fitting together of sounds; over time, 'nonharmonic' came to specifically describe sounds, tones, or signals that do not fit harmonic relationships (musical or physical).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a tone or partial that is nonharmonic (often called a nonharmonic tone in musical analysis).
The score contains several nonharmonics that resolve into the underlying chord.
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Adjective 1
not harmonic; not exhibiting harmonic relations or harmony (general use).
The engineer described the signal as nonharmonic, containing many irregular frequencies.
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Adjective 2
in music, producing tones that do not belong to the harmonic series or that create dissonance (used of tones or tones' relationships).
Composers sometimes use nonharmonic tones to create tension before a resolution.
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Last updated: 2025/09/06 23:25