harmonium

See also: Harmonium and harmóníum

English

An Indian harmonium.

Etymology

Borrowed from French harmonium, a term coined by Alexandre Debain.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɑː(ɹ)ˈməʊniəm/
• Rhymes: -əʊniəm

Noun

harmonium (plural harmoniums)

1. (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.

Derived terms

• harmoniumist

Translations

musical instrument

• Catalan: harmònium (ca) m
• Dutch: harmonium (nl) n
• French: harmonium (fr) m
• German: Harmonium (de) n
• Gujarati: પેટીવાજું (peṭīvājũ)
• Hindi: हारमोनियम (hi) (hārmoniyam)
• Icelandic: harmóníum n
• Irish: armóin f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: harmonium n (New Latin)
• Maori: hāmonia
• Marathi: हार्मोनियम (hārmoniyam)
• Norman: harmonium m (Jersey)
• Tagalog: armonyo
• Telugu: హార్మోనియం (te) (hārmōniyaṁ)
• Urdu: ہارمونیم

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.

See also

• melodeon
• reed organ
• shruti box

Further reading

• harmonium on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

---

French

Etymology

Coined by French inventor Alexandre Debain in 1840, based on harmonie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aʁ.mɔ.njɔm/

Noun

harmonium m (plural harmoniums)

1. harmonium

Descendants

• → English: harmonium
• → Turkish: harmonyum, armonyum

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.)

Noun

harmonium m (plural harmoniums)

1. (Jersey) harmonium

---

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

harmonium n (definite singular harmoniet, indefinite plural harmonier, definite plural harmonia or harmoniene)

1. (music) a harmonium or pump organ

   Synonyms: pumpeorgel, salmesykkel, trøorgel, tråorgel

---

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

harmonium n (definite singular harmoniet, indefinite plural harmonium, definite plural harmonia)

1. (music) a harmonium or pump organ

   Synonyms: pumpeorgel, salmesykkel, trøorgel, tråorgel