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Glite Dictionary
harmonograph

harmonograph

1 9.9
A machine with swinging pendulums that draws repeating geometric patterns on paper
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑːrmənəˌɡræf/
  • Archaic
: armonógrafo
  • During the demonstration, the harmonograph drew complex shapes as the pendulums swung back and forth.

Examples

  • This invention, called the harmonograph because it made a written record of the harmony of the pendulums, caught on like wildfire.

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  • At the science fair, students displayed their harmonographs to show how pendulums could produce beautiful designs.

  • You can, of course, build your own harmonograph today.

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  • The harmonograph was the first art machine.

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  • Victorian parties were often enlivened by a simple device called a harmonograph.

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  • In the end, the harmonograph was no threat to art—or at least not as much a threat as human performance artists were—but it was one of the first signs that human artistry was in for tougher competition than had previously been thought.

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  • The artist used a harmonograph to create intricate geometric patterns on paper.

Surface Forms

harmonograph singular
harmonographs plural

Morphology

harmonograph = harmony (semi-transparent) = harmon + graph

The components are recognizable, but the specific meaning of a pendulum-based device for drawing patterns is specialized and not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Harmonograph comes from harmony ('agreement' or 'pleasant sound') and graph ('to write' or 'draw'), so it can be seen as 'writing harmony'. A harmonograph is a machine with swinging parts (pendulums) that move together and draw beautiful repeating patterns on paper.