Etymology
In Hermann von Helmholtz's classic "On The Sensations Of Tone" he used the German "Obertöne" which was actually a contraction of "Oberpartialtöne", or in English: "upper partial tones". However, due to the similarity of German "ober" to English "over", a Prof. Tyndall mistranslated Helmholtz' term, thus creating "overtone". This mistranslation creates unfortunate confusion, adding an additional term that is mathematically problematic (as described above) and has unfortunate mystical connotations that have led to the suggestion that if there are overtones, perhaps there are "undertones" (a term sometimes confused with "difference tones" but also used in speculation about a hypothetical "undertone series"). In contrast, the correct translation of "upper partial tones" does not have any problematic implications. Alexander Ellis discusses the mistranslation on pages 24–25 of his definitive English translation of Helmholtz, where Ellis strongly suggests avoidance of the term "overtone".
Read more about this topic: Overtone
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