Harman, här′man, n. (slang) a policeman—also Har′man-beck: (pl.) the stocks.
Harmattan, har-mat′an, n. a hot, dry, noxious wind which blows periodically from the interior of Africa to the Atlantic along the Guinea coast during December, January, and February. [Fanti.]
Harmonic, -al, har-mon′ik, -al, adj. pertaining to harmony: musical: concordant: recurring periodically.—n. a secondary tone, overtone; a note on a stringed instrument produced by lightly stopping a string: (math.) one of a class of functions that enter into the development of the potential of a nearly spherical mass due to its attraction.—adv. Harmon′ically.—n.pl. Harmon′ics, used as sing. the science of harmony or of musical sounds—as pl. consonances, the component sounds included in what appears to the ear to be a single sound.—adj. Harmō′nious, having harmony: symmetrical, congruous: concordant.—adv. Harmō′niously.—ns. Harmō′niousness; Harmonisā′tion.—v.i. Har′monīse, to be in harmony: to agree.—v.t. to make in harmony: to cause to agree: (mus.) to provide parts to.—ns. Harmonīs′er; Har′monist, one skilled in harmony: a musical composer.—Harmonic engine, an invention of Edison's, in which the energy of an electric current is used, by means of two small electro-magnets, to keep up the vibrations of a large and heavily-weighted tuning-fork whose arms are connected with two pistons working a miniature pump; Harmonic progression, a series of numbers the reciprocals of which are in arithmetical progression; Harmonic proportion, the relation of three quantities in harmonic progression—the 2d a harmonic mean between the 1st and 3d, as in the three numbers 2, 3, and 6; Harmonic triad, the common chord.
Harmonium, har-mō′ni-um, n. a reed-organ, esp. one in which the air is compressed in the bellows and driven thence through the reeds.—ns. Harmon′ica, the musical glasses—an instrument invented by Franklin, the sounds of which were produced from bell-shaped glasses placed on a framework that revolved on its centre, while the rims were touched by the moistened finger: a musical instrument consisting of a series of glass or metal plates played by striking with a small mallet: a mouth-organ or harmonicon; Harmon′icon, a mouth-organ: an acoustic apparatus by which a musical note is evolved when a long dry tube, open at both ends, is held over a jet of burning hydrogen; Harmon′iphone, a musical instrument played with a keyboard, in which the sounds are produced by reeds set in a tube, and vibrating under pressure from the breath; Harmō′niumist, one who plays the harmonium; Harmon′ograph, an instrument for tracing curves representing sonorous vibrations; Harmonom′eter, one for measuring the harmonic relations of sounds.
Harmony, här′mo-ni, n. a fitting together of parts so as to form a connected whole, agreement in relation: in art, a normal state of completeness and order in the relations of things to each other: (mus.) a simultaneous combination of accordant sounds: the whole chordal structure of a piece, as distinguished from its melody or its rhythm: concord, music in general: a collation of parallel passages regarding the same event arranged to demonstrate the substantial unity—as of the Gospels.—Harmony, or Music, of the spheres, a harmony formed by the regular movements of the heavenly bodies throughout space, determined by the relation to each other of the intervals of separation; Pre-established harmony, the designation of Leibnitz for his theory of the divinely established relation between body and mind—the movements of monads and the succession of ideas, as it were a constant agreement between two clocks. [Fr.,—L.,—Gr. harmonia—harmos, a fitting—arein, to fit.]
Harmost, här′most, n. a Spartan governor of a subject city or province.—n. Har′mosty; the office of such.
Harmotome, här′mō-tōm, n. a hydrous silicate of aluminium and barium.—Also Cross-stone.
Harness, här′nes, n. the equipments of a horse: formerly, the armour of a man or horse: equipment for any kind of labour.—v.t. to equip with armour: to put the harness on a horse.—n. Har′ness-cask, a tub, a cask with rimmed cover on a ship's deck holding the salt meat for daily use.—Die in harness, to die at one's work. [O. Fr. harneis, armour; dubiously referred to Celt., as in Bret. harnez, old iron, also armour.]
Harns, härnz, n.pl. (Scot.) the brains. [A.S. hærnes, most prob. Norse hjarne; cf. Ger. hirn.]
Haro, hä′ro, n. an old term for a form of appeal in the Channel Islands, a demand for protection against harm, or for assistance to arrest an adversary.—Also Ha′row, Har′row (Spens.), a mere exclamation of distress. [O. Fr. haro, harou, of unknown origin; not ha Rou! an appeal to Rolf, Rollo, or Rou, the first Duke of Normandy.]