The Standard Electrical Dictionary

1. Quality of Sound

   The distinguishing characteristic of a sound other than its pitch; the timbre. It is due to the presence with the main or fundamental sound of other minor sounds called overtones, the fundamental note prevailing and the other ones being superimposed upon it. The human voice is very rich in overtones; the telephone reproduces these, thus giving the personal peculiarities of every voice. Synonym--Timbre.