octave

noun

oc·​tave ˈäk-tiv 

-təv,

-ˌtāv

1

: an 8-day period of observances beginning with a festival day

2

a

: a stanza of eight lines : ottava rima

b

: the first eight lines of an Italian sonnet

3

a

: a musical interval embracing eight diatonic degrees

b

: a tone or note at this interval

c

: the harmonic combination of two tones an octave apart

d

: the whole series of notes, tones, or digitals comprised within this interval and forming the unit of the modern scale

e

: an organ stop giving tones an octave above those corresponding to the keys

4

: the interval between two frequencies (as in an electromagnetic spectrum) having a ratio of 2 to 1

5

: a group of eight

Examples of octave in a Sentence

He sang the song an octave lower.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mariah Carey is one of the hardest vocalists to replicate because of her five octave range and whistle register. —Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 27 Nov. 2024

But Buckley, a virtuoso rock performer, possessed a soaring vocal range, supple across multiple octaves and able to achieve euphoric liftoff without the aid of angelic overdubs. —Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024

Dressed in a classy two-piece skirt set, the singer started off strong before reaching the part in the song where her voice raised an octave. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 28 Oct. 2024

Camila disappears into a performance, jumping around octaves and shifting tone and delivery. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin octava, from Latin, feminine of octavus eighth, from octo eight — more at eight

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

octave

noun

oc·​tave ˈäk-tiv 

-təv,

-ˌtāv

1

: a group of eight lines of poetry (as the first eight lines of a sonnet)

2

a

: the difference in pitch between the first and eighth tone on the scale

b

: a tone or note that is eight steps above or below another note or tone

3

: a group of eight