harmonical, a.
(hɑːˈmɒnɪkəl)
Also 6 armonical.
[f. as harmonic + -al1.]
1. Marked by harmony or agreement; harmonious, concordant: = harmonic a. 6. (In later use mostly fig. from 4.) Now rare.
| 1531 Elyot Gov. i. xx, Sterres and planettes, and their motions harmonicall. 1586 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. i. (1589) 415 To distribute liberally and according to harmonicall proportion their gifts, graces, and good turnes. 1676 Cudworth Serm. 1 Cor. xv. 57 (ed. 3) 81 The soul of man was harmonical as God at first made it, till sin, disordering the strings and faculties, put it out of tune. 1691–1701 Norris Ideal World ii. xii (1704) 465 The harmonical consent of these two Divine writers. 1851 Ruskin Stones Ven. I. xx. §18 The arrangement of shadows..in certain harmonical successions. |
2. Relating to or obtained by collation of parallel passages in different books: see harmony 6.
| 1612 T. Taylor Comm. Titus i. 11 Partly by the expresse texts of Scripture: partly by harmonical, parallel, and sutable places. 1697 C. Leslie Snake in Grass (ed. 2) 354 One Harmonical Gospel made out of the four Gospels. |
† 3. Belonging or relating to music, musical: = harmonic a. 1. Obs.
| 1603 Holland Plutarch's Mor. 581 (R.) To judge of song and harmonical measures. 1626 Bacon Sylva §105 After euery three whole Notes Nature requireth, for all Harmonicall vse, one Halfe-Note to be interposed. 1796 Hutton Math. Dict., Harmonical Interval, the difference between two sounds, in respect of acute and grave. 1837 Whewell Hist. Induct. Sc. (1857) I. 255 What new harmonical truth was illustrated in the Gregorian chant? |
† b. In ancient Greek music: = enharmonic 1.
| 1603 Holland Plutarch's Mor. 486 (R.) Among sundry kinds of music, that which is called chromatical..enlargeth..the heart, whereas the harmonical contracteth and draweth it in. |
† 4. Of sounds, etc., esp. of musical notes: Harmonious, concordant, consonant; sweet-sounding, tuneful: = harmonic a. 2. Obs.
| 15.. Proverbis in Antiq. Rep. (1809) IV. 409 In the Speris of the planettis makynge sownde armonical. 1596 C. Fitzgeffrey Sir F. Drake (1881) 24 Fetch Orpheus harpe with strings harmonicall. 1626 Bacon Sylva §873 Harmonicall Sounds, and Discordant Sounds are both Actiue and Positiue. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., Harmonical intervals..are the same with concords. 1774 Mitford Harmony of Lang. 186 The Italian has harmonical graces which the English cannot reach. |
† b. transf. Of verse: Rhythmical, melodious, sweet-sounding. Obs.
| 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie ii. (Arb.) 144 This ditty of th' Erle of Surries, passing sweete and harmonicall. 1652 Ashmole Theat. Chem. Brit. Proleg. 12 Unlesse their Verses..were form'd with an Harmonicall Cadence. |
5. Relating to harmony, or the combination of notes in music: = harmonic a. 3. ? Obs.
| 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., In its more proper and limited sense, harmonical composition.. may be defined, the art of..concerting several single parts together, in such manner as to make one agreeable whole. 1795 Mason Ch. Mus. i. 10 Not only the effect of musical sounds in melodious succession, but of these too in harmonical combination. |
† 6. = harmonic a. 4. Obs.
| 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., Harmonical sounds are produced by the parts of chords, etc. which vibrate a certain number of times while the whole chord vibrates once. |
7. Math. = harmonic a. 5. † harmonical numbers: numbers in harmonic progression (obs.).
| 1569 J. Sandford tr. Agrippa's Van. Artes 25 b, Of Harmonical Numbers, and Geometrical. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. Annotat., Harmonical proportion is..when the greatest of three termes is so to the least as the difference of the greatest and middle termes is to the difference of the middle and least. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., Harmonical series is a series of many numbers in continual harmonical proportion. 1881 Casey Sequel to Euclid 89 The reciprocals of lines in arithmetical progression are in harmonical progression. 1882 C. Smith Conic Sect. (1885) 53 PQ:PS::PR–PQ:PS–PR, so that PQ PR PS are in harmonical proportion. |
† b. as n. (pl.) Straight lines forming a harmonic pencil; quantities in harmonical progression. Obs.
| a 1746 Maclaurin Algebra (1779) 456 Any right line which meets four harmonicals is cut by the same harmonically. 1796 Hutton Math. Dict. s.v., The reciprocals of Harmonicals are arithmeticals. |
† 8. Anat. = harmonic a. 7. Obs.
| 1578 Banister Hist. Man i. 5 A simple line, and Harmonicall meting, haue the Bones of the nose. |