harmonium
English
An Indian harmonium.
Etymology
Borrowed from French harmonium, a term coined by Alexandre Debain.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hɑː(ɹ)ˈməʊniəm/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Rhymes: -əʊniəm
Noun
harmonium (plural harmoniums)
- (music) A small keyboard instrument that consists of a series of reed pipes, which sound when one of the keys is pressed to open a valve that allows air to pass through.
- 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Which Describes Some Strange Doings in Hammersmith”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
- The only other man was a little grey-headed fellow with a pleasant face and quick, twinkling eyes, who sat at a harmonium in the corner.
- 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC, page 244:
- They were a grave and reverend seignior in a frock coat, a lady sitting at a portable harmonium, and a chinless youth toying with a crucifix.
- Synonym for Hooke's atom.
Usage notes
In North America and the United Kingdom, a reed organ with pressure bellows is referred to as a harmonium, whereas in continental Europe, any reed organ is called a harmonium regardless of whether it has pressure or suction bellows.
Derived terms
Translations
musical instrument
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See also
French
Etymology
Coined by French inventor Alexandre Debain in 1840, based on harmonie.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aʁ.mɔ.njɔm/
Further reading
- “harmonium”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Norman
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Norwegian Bokmål
Norwegian Nynorsk
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