Where does “overtone” come from?
Overtone derives from English over- plus tone, which comes from Latin tonus, Ancient Greek τόνος (tonos, meaning stretched or taut), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ten-, meaning to stretch.
overtone (English): A tone whose frequency is an integer multiple of...
Definitions
- A tone whose frequency is an integer multiple of...
Ancestry of “overtone”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | over | Discontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;... |
| 2 | Middle English | over | riverbank, seashore, brink |
| 3 | Old English | ōfer | riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | obar | over, above |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | uber | over; over, above |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |