English Explanatory Dictionary

octave

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.
  2. The pitch an octave higher than a given pitch.
  3. A coupler on an organ which allows the organist to sound the note an octave above the note of the key pressed (cf sub-octave)
  4. A poetic stanza consisting of eight lines; usually used as one part of a sonnet.
  5. The eighth defensive position, with the sword hand held at waist height, and the tip of the sword out straight at knee level.
  6. The day that is one week after a feast day in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
  7. An eight-day period beginning on a feast day in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
  8. A small cask of wine, one eighth of a pipe.
  9. An octonion.
  10. Any of a number of coherent-noise functions of differing frequency that are added together to form Perlin noise.
  11. The subjective vibration of a planet.
verb
  1. Alternative form of octavate.
adj
  1. Consisting of eight; eight in number.

Pronunciation

/ˈɒktɪv/ /ˈɒkteɪv/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-octave.wav /ˈɑktɪv/ /ˈɑkteɪv/

Word forms

octave octaves octaving octaved

Etymology

From Latin octavus (“eighth”). Doublet of octavo, ochava, and oitava.

Related words

octavo oct- octave key interval unison second third fourth fifth sixth seventh Octave in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Derived words

augmented octave contra-octave diminished octave great octave interoctave intraoctave millioctave multioctave octaval octavation octave clef octave coupler octave flute octave species perfect octave pseudo-octave sesquioctave subcontraoctave suboctave superoctave tritave
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