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harmony

/ˈhɑːmə.ni/ (Received-Pronunciation)/ˈhɑ̟ɹ.mə.ni/ (General-American)/ˈhɐːmə.ni/ (Australia, New-Zealand)syllables: har·mon·y
  • noun
  • from Old French

Agreement or accord.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “harmony” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. countableuncountableAgreement or accord.

    December 4 2010, Evan Thomas, "Why It’s Time to Worry", in Newsweek America's social harmony has depended at least to some degree on economic growth. It is easier to get along when everyone, more or less, is getting ahead.

  2. countableuncountableA pleasing combination of elements, or arrangement of sounds.
  3. countableuncountableThe academic study of chords.
  4. countableuncountableTwo or more notes played simultaneously to produce a chord.
  5. countableuncountableThe relationship between two distinct musical pitches (musical pitches being frequencies of vibration which produce audible sound) played simultaneously.

    I did not know anything more about music,only about finger exercises, difficult tasks, contradictions in the theory of harmony, and tedious piano lessons from a sarcastic teacher who saw in my […]2012 December 21, Hermann Hesse, Gertrude: A Novel, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, →OCLC:

  6. countableuncountableA literary work which brings together or arranges systematically parallel passages of historians respecting the same events, and shows their agreement or consistency.

    a harmony of the Gospels

Wiktionary: “harmony” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (5)
  1. nouncompatibility in opinion and action — also: harmoniousness
  2. nounthe structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords — also: musical harmony
  3. nouna harmonious state of things in general and of their properties (as of colors and sounds); congruity of parts with one another and with the whole — also: concord, concordance
  4. nounagreement of opinions — also: concord, concordance
  5. nounan agreeable sound property
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)harmony
  2. Middle Englisharmonye
  3. Old Frenchharmonie
  4. Latinharmonia
  5. Ancient Greekἁρμονία (harmonía) “joint, union, agreement, concord of sounds”
  6. Ancient Greekor
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂er- “to join, fit, fix together”

From Middle English armonye, from Old French harmonie, armonie, from Latin harmonia, from Ancient Greek ἁρμονία (harmonía, “joint, union, agreement, concord of sounds”), either from or cognate with ἁρμόζω (harmózō, “to fit together”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to join, fit, fix together”). First attested in 1602. Doublet of harmonia.

Wiktionary: “harmony” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “harmony”

disharmonyguitarmonyharmolodicsharmonicharmonicsharmoniousharmoniphoneharmonismharmonistHarmonistHarmonitedisharmonizedisharmoniseharmonizabilityharmonisabilityharmonizableharmonisableharmonizationharmonisationharmonizerharmoniserharmonizinglyharmonisinglyreharmonizereharmoniseunharmonizedunharmonisedharmonizeharmoniseharmonogramharmonographinharmoniousinharmonynonharmonyphilharmonicpoly-harmonypolyharmonysynharmonytelharmonyunharmony

Phrases & compounds

close harmonyconsonant harmonyharmony of the spheresharmony of vowelsimitative harmonynegative harmonypreestablished harmonypre-established harmonytense harmonyvowel harmony
Wiktionary: “harmony” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “harmony” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “harmony” came from before it was English.

Came into English from
Old French
Old French harmonie
Oldest written form
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek or
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- “to join, fit, fix together”
Wiktionary: “harmony” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root
“to join, fit, fix together”
Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- — rebuilt by linguists from its descendants; never written down.
Wiktionary: “harmony” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

harmony n. [F. harmonie, L. harmonia, Gr. "armoni`a joint, proportion, concord, fr. "armo`s a fitting or joining. See Article.]

  1. The just adaptation of parts to each other, in any system or combination of things, or in things intended to form a connected whole; such an agreement between the different parts of a design or composition as to produce unity of effect; as, the harmony of the universe.
  2. Concord or agreement in facts, opinions, manners, interests, etc.; good correspondence; peace and friendship; as, good citizens live in harmony.
  3. A literary work which brings together or arranges systematically parallel passages of historians respecting the same events, and shows their agreement or consistency; as, a harmony of the Gospels.
  4. A succession of chords according to the rules of progression and modulation.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: Agreement or accord.

December 4 2010, Evan Thomas, "Why It’s Time to Worry", in Newsweek America's social harmony has depended at least to some degree on economic growth. It is easier to get along when everyone, more or less, is getting ahead.

nounMeaning: The relationship between two distinct musical pitches (musical pitches being frequencies of vibration which produce audible sound) played simultaneously.

I did not know anything more about music,only about finger exercises, difficult tasks, contradictions in the theory of harmony, and tedious piano lessons from a sarcastic teacher who saw in my […]2012 December 21, Hermann Hesse, Gertrude: A Novel, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, →OCLC:

nounMeaning: A literary work which brings together or arranges systematically parallel passages of historians respecting the same events, and shows their agreement or consistency.

a harmony of the Gospels

Wiktionary: “harmony” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 9

Say it, then spell it

harmony

/ˈhɑːmə.ni/ · har·mon·y

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

harmony

/ˈhɑːmə.ni/ · har·mon·y · noun

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “harmony” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) Agreement or accord.
2. (noun) A pleasing combination of elements, or arrangement of sounds.
3. (noun) The academic study of chords.
4. (noun) Two or more notes played simultaneously to produce a chord.
5. (noun) The relationship between two distinct musical pitches (musical pitches being frequencies of vibration which produce audible sound) played simultaneously.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“December 4 2010, Evan Thomas, "Why It’s Time to Worry", in Newsweek America's social harmony has depended at least to some degree on economic growth. It is easier to get along when everyone, more or less, is getting ahead.”

A. Two or more notes played simultaneously to produce a chord.
B. Agreement or accord.
C. A pleasing combination of elements, or arrangement of sounds.

Circle the meaning used.

“a harmony of the Gospels”

A. A literary work which brings together or arranges systematically parallel passages of historians respecting the same events, and shows their agreement or consistency.
B. Two or more notes played simultaneously to produce a chord.
C. The relationship between two distinct musical pitches (musical pitches being frequencies of vibration which produce audible sound) played simultaneously.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “harmony” come into English from?   A. Old Norse  B. Old French  C. Latin  D. Ancient Greek

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “harmony” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Proto-Indo-European *h₂er-. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “harmony” to mean: Agreement or accord.
Write a sentence using “harmony” to mean: A pleasing combination of elements, or arrangement of sounds.
Write a sentence using “harmony” to mean: The academic study of chords.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — harmony

Which meaning, sentence 1: B. Agreement or accord.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. A literary work which brings together or arranges systematically parallel passages of historians respecting the same events, and shows their agreement or consistency.

Origin: B. Old French (Old French harmonie)

Journey: English harmony ← Middle English armonye ← Old French harmonie ← Latin harmonia ← Ancient Greek ἁρμονία ← Ancient Greek or ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂er-

Some derivatives: disharmony, guitarmony, harmolodics, harmonic, harmonics, harmonious, harmoniphone, harmonism

Original meaning: Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- — “to join, fit, fix together”

Etymology: From Middle English armonye, from Old French harmonie, armonie, from Latin harmonia, from Ancient Greek ἁρμονία (harmonía, “joint, union, agreement, concord of sounds”), either from or cognate with ἁρμόζω (harmózō, “to fit together”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to join, fit, fix together”). First attested in 1602. Doublet of harmonia.

Sources: Wiktionary “harmony” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/harmony#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/harmony