overtone

[ oh-ver-tohn ]
/ ˈoʊ vərˌtoʊn /

noun

Music. an acoustical frequency that is higher in frequency than the fundamental.
an additional, usually subsidiary and implicit meaning or quality: an aesthetic theory with definite political overtones.

Origin of overtone

1865–70; translation of German Oberton. See over-, tone

Example sentences from the Web for overtone

British Dictionary definitions for overtone

overtone
/ (ˈəʊvəˌtəʊn) /

noun

(often plural) additional meaning or nuance overtones of despair
music acoustics any of the tones, with the exception of the fundamental, that constitute a musical sound and contribute to its quality, each having a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency See also harmonic (def. 7), partial (def. 6)

Scientific definitions for overtone

overtone
[ ōvər-tōn′ ]

See under harmonic.