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

An entire taxonomy could be organized around Bening’s laughter, which spans octaves, from Champagne bubbles to the peatiest depths of Scotch. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023

But the talented soprano — who is best known for her five-and-a-half octave range — preferred soul and R&B, and began her professional career in the Motown group The Gems at just 14, according to The New York Times. —Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 8 Oct. 2023

Pinkett Smith’s tone is telling, signifying with a shift in octave the weight of what’s coming out of her mouth to whoever is sitting across from her. —Helena Andrews-Dyer, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023

When Swift goes up an octave in the track’s second verse. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023

Emma then copies my voice & laugh and drops it several octaves. —Variety, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023

Also adding to the work’s heft: The big bell, tuned two octaves below the bells overhead, seems less in tune with them than in tension. —Blake Gopnik, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2023

At least in one case, Alexa’s female voice dropped a few octaves, sounding more masculine. —Bernhard Warner, BostonGlobe.com, 1 July 2023

There was the range, the effortless jumping around octaves, and the subtle but discernible Gallic lilt, lending centuries of yearning to her bell-like clarity. —Daphne Merkin, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2023

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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