harmony
pronunciation
How to pronounce harmony in British English:
UK [ˈhɑːməni]
How to pronounce harmony in American English:
US [ˈhɑːrməni]
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- Noun:
- compatibility in opinion and action
- the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords
- a 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
- agreement of opinions
- an agreeable sound property
Word Origin
- harmony
- harmony: [14] The etymological idea behind harmony is ‘fitting things together’ – that is, of combining notes in an aesthetically pleasing manner. It comes via Old French harmonie and Latin harmonia from Greek harmoníā ‘means of joining’, hence ‘agreement, concord’, a derivative of harmós ‘joint’. As a musical term in Greek it appears to have denoted ‘scale’, or more simply just ‘music’, and its original use in English was for what we would now call ‘melody’.It was not applied to the combination of notes to form chords (a practice which originated in the 9th century) until the 16th century. The term harmonica was coined in 1762 by the American physicist and statesman Benjamin Franklin for a musical instrument consisting of a set of water-filled glasses tuned to different notes and played with the fingers. It was first applied to the mouth-organ in the 19th century.
- harmony (n.)
- late 14c., "combination of tones pleasing to the ear," from Old French harmonie, armonie "harmony," also the name of a musical instrument (12c.), from Latin harmonia, from Greek harmonia "agreement, concord of sounds," also as a proper name, the personification of music, literally "means of joining," used of ship-planks, etc., also "settled government, order," related to harmos "fastenings of a door; shoulder," from PIE *ar-ti-, from *ar- "to fit together" (see arm (n.1)). Modern scientific harmony, using combinations of notes to form chords, is from 16c. Sense of "agreement of feeling, concord" is from late 14c.
Synonym
fitness coalescence conformation appropriateness coherence aptness apposition conjunction symmetry coincidence compatability correspondence congruity consistency balance euphony unification appositeness blending compatibility proportion parallelism attunement integration consonance juxtaposition propriety coordination concinnity integrality synthesis
fellowship agreement amity congeniality consensus assent like-mindedness concurrence brotherhood amicableness oneness union rapport affinity concord fraternity unanimity sympathy unity love goodwill tranquillity rapprochement friendship accordance peace cordiality rapproachement concordance comradeship accord
Antonym
Example
- 1. The ideal of harmony is quintessentially confucian .
- 2. Call it a special social harmony dividend .
- 3. Helps to produce harmony by grouping like objects .
- 4. I could make no melody , harmony , rhythm out of it .
- 5. Maintain intimacy is one of important thing for household harmony .