Harmonic

Harmonic, -al, har-mon′ik, -al, adj. pertaining to harmony: musical: concordant: recurring periodically.—n. a secondary tone, overtone; a note on a stringed instrument produced by lightly stopping a string: (math.) one of a class of functions that enter into the development of the potential of a nearly spherical mass due to its attraction.—adv. Harmon′ically.—n.pl. Harmon′ics, used as sing. the science of harmony or of musical sounds—as pl. consonances, the component sounds included in what appears to the ear to be a single sound.—adj. Harmō′nious, having harmony: symmetrical, congruous: concordant.—adv. Harmō′niously.—ns. Harmō′niousness; Harmonisā′tion.—v.i. Har′monīse, to be in harmony: to agree.—v.t. to make in harmony: to cause to agree: (mus.) to provide parts to.—ns. Harmonīs′er; Har′monist, one skilled in harmony: a musical composer.—Harmonic engine, an invention of Edison's, in which the energy of an electric current is used, by means of two small electro-magnets, to keep up the vibrations of a large and heavily-weighted tuning-fork whose arms are connected with two pistons working a miniature pump; Harmonic progression, a series of numbers the reciprocals of which are in arithmetical progression; Harmonic proportion, the relation of three quantities in harmonic progression—the 2d a harmonic mean between the 1st and 3d, as in the three numbers 2, 3, and 6; Harmonic triad, the common chord.