Overtone

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈoʊvɚtoʊn/

Definitions

1. A harmonic sound frequency higher than the main pitch ; a subtle or indirect meaning suggested by something said or done
2. A sound frequency that accompanies and is higher than the base note in music ; a hidden or suggested meaning beneath the surface of words or actions
3. An additional musical note higher than the fundamental tone ; a faint or implied significance present beyond the obvious expression

Etymology: The musical sense came first and the figurative sense grew out of it. In 1863, the German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz described the "Obertöne" of a sound, the higher tones that the ear picks up alongside a note's main pitch when it listens closely. The word is a calque of that German term: English took the parts of "Oberton" and built them from its own material, "over-" plus "tone." Helmholtz's book was not published in its final form until 1913, but the idea and terminology were in circulation from 1863 onward. The English word therefore began as a precise term of acoustics, meaning a higher partial sounding above a fundamental. Its figurative sense, a faint suggestion of meaning lying beneath or above the plain statement, developed from that musical picture of extra tones sounding together with the main one.

Synonyms: undertone, nuance, subtext