English
harmonic
Harmonic comes from Ancient Greek ἁρμονικός ‘skilled in music’, from ἁρμονία ‘harmony’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to join, fit, fix together’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂er-‘to join, fit, fix together’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCE*ἁρμωνreconstructed
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἁρμονίαharmonía‘harmony’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἁρμονικόςharmonikós‘skilled in music’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEharmonicus
- Englishearliest quotation 1728harmonic
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂er-‘to join, fit, fix together’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCE*ἁρμωνreconstructed
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἁρμονίαharmonía‘harmony’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἁρμονικόςharmonikós‘skilled in music’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEharmonicus
- Englishearliest quotation 1728harmonic
Earliest quotation: 1728, Alexander Pope, (please specify the page): “harmonic twang of leather, horn, and brass.”
Equivalent to harmony + -ic
Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to join, fit, fix together’
…
Ancient Greek ἁρμονία ‘joint, union, agreement, concord of sounds’
Latin harmonia ‘harmony, concordance of sounds’
Old French harmonie
Middle English armonye
English harmony
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to join, fit, fix together’
order, ready, rate, reason, art, article, artist, army, ratio, ordinary, arm, alarm, coordinate, coordination, arthritis, subordinate, anarchy, ornament, armor, ordination, articulate, ornate, inertia, arithmetic, inert, artisan, adorn, aristocratic, ordinate, ordinator, armament, ordinal, articulation, rta, rime, ordain, ordo, armadillo, artifice, armature, 80 more
Today it means
adj Pertaining to harmony.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- / harmonic