Etymology and origin of the Latin word harmonica
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- c. 84–25 BC Vitruvius More words from the 1st century BC
- Borrowed from
- Ancient Greek ἁρμονική
- Ultimate origin
- Ancient Greek ἁρμονική
Forms
harmonica f (genitive harmonicae); first declension[1][2]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἁρμονική (harmonikḗ, “the science of harmony”),[1][2][3] the feminine of ἁρμονικός (harmonikós, “harmonic, musical”), with “art” understood.[1][4] The Greek adjective comes from ἁρμονία (harmonía, “harmony”).[5] Latin also kept the Greek form of the noun, harmonicē.[1][4]
Earliest recorded meaning
Vitruvius (c. 84–c. 25 BC) has harmonica in De architectura (5.4.1), for the theory of musical harmony, after using the Greek form harmonicē (5.3.8).[4][1][6]
Semantic evolution
It remained a technical term for the science of musical sound;[1] Censorinus also uses it.[1] Medieval Latin of the Czech lands has it for the doctrine of the concord of sounds,[7] and in 16th-century Poland the feminine of the adjective was used as a noun for harmony and its theory.[8]
In 1762 Benjamin Franklin took the Latin feminine for the name of his glass harmonica; the sense “mouth organ” is from 1873.[5]
Timeline
- c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it for the theory of harmony.[4][1][6]
- 1762 – The Latin feminine is taken as the name of an instrument in English, the glass harmonica.[5]
Meanings
Noun
Related words
Usage notes
The adjective harmonicus means “harmonious, according with harmony”, and is very rare.[4][3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
- ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
- ^ Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
Related etymologies
- scaphium · also from Greek
- phiala · also from Greek
- lanterna · also from Greek
- herous · also from Greek
- phoca · also from Greek
- phreneticus · also from Greek
- paedagogium · also from Greek
- cardiacus · also from Greek
Cite this entry
“Harmonica.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/harmonica. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.
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