Of a sinusoidal wave, an integral multiple of the
frequency,
i.e., the fundamental, of the wave, other than the fundamental itself.
Note 1: The first overtone is twice the frequency of the fundamental, and thus corresponds to the second harmonic; the second overtone is three times the frequency of the fundamental, and thus corresponds to the third harmonic,
etc. Note 2: Use of the term
overtone is generally confined to acoustic waves, especially in applications related to music.
Contrast with fundamental,
harmonic.