English
harmonium
Harmonium comes from French harmonie ‘harmony’, from Ancient Greek ἁρμονία ‘a fitting together, joint’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂er-‘to join, fit, fix together’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCE*ἁρμωνreconstructed
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἁρμονία‘a fitting together, joint’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEharmonia‘harmony, concordance of sounds’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentharmonie‘harmony’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentharmonium
- Englishearliest quotation 1847same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
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 BCEἁρμονία‘a fitting together, joint’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEharmonia‘harmony, concordance of sounds’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentharmonie‘harmony’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentharmonium
- Englishearliest quotation 1847same form
Earliest quotation: 1847, The Illustrated London News: “Pianos, melodiums, harmoniums, eolinas, &c. too dear at any…”
Equivalent to harmony + -ium
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
first attested First attested in 1847 (as stated in the etymology)
The story
Borrowed from French harmonium, coined by French harmonium inventor Alexandre Debain in 1840. First attested in 1847.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to join, fit, fix together’
order, ready, rate, reason, art, article, army, artist, ratio, ordinary, arm, alarm, coordinate, coordination, arthritis, subordinate, articulate, armor, anarchy, ornament, ordination, arithmetic, ornate, inertia, aristocratic, inert, artisan, adorn, ordinate, articulation, ordinator, armament, ordinal, rta, rime, ordain, philharmonic, artifice, armadillo, ordo, 80 more
Today it means
noun A small keyboard instrument that consists of a series of reed pipes, which sound when one of the keys is pressed to open a valve that allows air to pass through.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- / harmonium