First published 1898; not yet revised
harmonynoun
Factsheet
What does the noun harmony mean?
There are ten meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun harmony. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
harmony has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun harmony?
About 20occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 15 |
| 1760 | 23 |
| 1770 | 29 |
| 1780 | 29 |
| 1790 | 24 |
| 1800 | 28 |
| 1810 | 25 |
| 1820 | 26 |
| 1830 | 28 |
| 1840 | 30 |
| 1850 | 33 |
| 1860 | 31 |
| 1870 | 34 |
| 1880 | 33 |
| 1890 | 33 |
| 1900 | 32 |
| 1910 | 29 |
| 1920 | 29 |
| 1930 | 27 |
| 1940 | 25 |
| 1950 | 23 |
| 1960 | 22 |
| 1970 | 19 |
| 1980 | 16 |
| 1990 | 16 |
| 2000 | 16 |
| 2010 | 16 |
How is the noun harmony pronounced?
British English
/ˈhɑːməni/
HAR-muh-nee
U.S. English
/ˈhɑrməni/
HAR-muh-nee
Where does the noun harmony come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun harmony is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for harmony is from around 1384, in the writing of Geoffrey Chaucer, poet and administrator.
harmony is a borrowing from French.
Etymons: French harmonie.
Nearby entries
- harmonistically, adv.1885–
- harmonium, n.1847–
- harmoniumist, n.1886–
- harmonization, n.1837–
- harmonize, v.1483–
- harmonizer, n.1678–
- harmon mute, n.1955–
- harmonogram, n.1902–
- harmonograph, n.1879–
- harmonometer, n.1823–
- harmony, n.c1384–
- harmost, n.1775–
- harmosty, n.1852–
- harmosyn, n.1594
- harmosynian, n.1788
- harmotome, n.1804–
- harn, n.¹a1154–
- harn, adj. & n.²1571–
- harness, n.1303–
- harness, v.c1380–
- harness-bearer, n.1563–1611
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for harmony, n.
harmony, n. was first published in 1898; not yet revised.
harmony, n. was last modified in March 2024.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into harmony, n. in March 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1898)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for harmony, n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- harmonistically, adv.1885–
- harmonium, n.1847–
- harmoniumist, n.1886–
- harmonization, n.1837–
- harmonize, v.1483–
- harmonizer, n.1678–
- harmon mute, n.1955–
- harmonogram, n.1902–
- harmonograph, n.1879–
- harmonometer, n.1823–
- harmony, n.c1384–
- harmost, n.1775–
- harmosty, n.1852–
- harmosyn, n.1594
- harmosynian, n.1788
- harmotome, n.1804–
- harn, n.¹a1154–
- harn, adj. & n.²1571–
- harness, n.1303–
- harness, v.c1380–
- harness-bearer, n.1563–1611
