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Glite Dictionary
fundamental frequency

fundamental frequency

1 4.9
The lowest note a sound makes that decides its pitch
  • noun
  • /ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl ˈfrikwənsi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : frecuencia fundamental
  • The fundamental frequency of a sound determines its pitch and is essential in music theory.
  • normal fundamental frequency
  • lowest fundamental frequency
  • higher than normal fundamental frequency

So you go in there and when you hit the, you know, the fundamental frequency of like, say the width of the box, it's, it's just amazing.

Examples

  • Fundamental frequency of pre- and post-boundary vowels, vowel duration, and pause duration between utterances were measured.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Notice that the amplitude of this overtone is very low compared with the fundamental frequency.

    Academic text (2011)

  • In two cases, the fundamental frequency was considered normal.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Four of the younger subjects also had higher than normal fundamental frequencies.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Three of the four younger subjects demonstrated higher than normal fundamental frequency, and one subject, a 12-year-old boy, had lower than normal fundamental frequency.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The fundamental frequency, the first five formants, and the bandwidths of the vowels were measured.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Eight (50%) of the patients had fundamental frequencies above Vuorenkoski's norms.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Individuals of short stature appear to have different speaking fundamental frequencies (SFF) when compared with normal subjects.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The fundamental frequency of every utterance was scaled to have a mean value of 165 Hz.

    Academic text (2011)

  • All sentences were produced by a native Mandarin-Chinese male speaker, with fundamental frequency (F0) ranging from 75 to 180 Hz.

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

fundamental
vsfundamental frequency
  • Specialized
1 7.9

The lowest tone in a sound that gives the pitch

focuses on measured frequency rather than the musical tone name
first harmonic
vsfundamental frequency
  • Specialized
6.7

The basic tone of a musical note that gives its pitch

is the term that emphasizes measured frequency as a waveform property

Antonyms

harmonic
  • Specialized
3 6.7

A tone made when a string vibrates in parts above the main tone

overtone
  • Specialized
3 7.4

A higher musical tone that sounds above the main note

How Low

infrasound
  • Specialized
3 8.2
fundamental frequency
  • Specialized
1 4.9
bass
1 4.1
midrange
  • Specialized
5.3

Surface Forms

fundamental frequency singular
fundamental frequencies plural

Morphology

fundamental + frequency

The phrase is compositional: 'fundamental' (= primary/basic) modifies 'frequency' (= rate), so a learner who knows both words can infer it means the main or primary frequency. Although the precise technical sense (the lowest harmonic) is specialized, the general idea of the primary frequency is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Fundamental frequency comes from the simple image of a vibrating string: the lowest and strongest vibration—the fundamental—gives the main tone, and frequency is how often the string moves back and forth. So, fundamental frequency is the lowest or main 'frequency' that decides a sound's 'pitch'.