octave
Music.
a tone on the eighth degree from a given tone.
the interval encompassed by such tones.
the harmonic combination of such tones.
a series of tones, or of keys of an instrument, extending through this interval.
a pipe-organ stop whose pipes give tones an octave above the normal pitch of the keys used.
a series or group of eight.
Also called octet. Prosody.
a group of eight lines of verse, especially the first eight lines of a sonnet in the Italian form.: Compare sestet (def. 1).
a stanza of eight lines.
the eighth of a series.
Ecclesiastical.
the eighth day from a feast day, counting the feast day as the first.
the period of eight days beginning with a feast day.
one eighth of a pipe of wine.
Fencing. the eighth of eight defensive positions.
pitched an octave higher.
Origin of octave
1Other words from octave
- oc·ta·val [ok-tey-vuhl, ok-tuh-], /ɒkˈteɪ vəl, ˈɒk tə-/, adjective
Words Nearby octave
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use octave in a sentence
Thanks to its straightforward playing mechanics, repeating layout, and a massive range spanning seven octaves, piano is one of the most unique and immediately rewarding instruments to learn.
The best beginner keyboards let you build piano skills without a major investment | Jay Cabrera | October 31, 2021 | Popular-SciencePlaying notes on her piano, she demonstrates for Steve why whole numbers sound pleasing, why octaves are mathematically imperfect, and how math underlies musical composition.
Mathematician Sarah Hart on Why Numbers are Music to Our Ears (People I (Mostly) Admire, Ep. 49) | Steven D. Levitt | October 30, 2021 | FreakonomicsAndrew Rannells and Tituss Burgess teamed up for “It Takes Two” from “Into the Woods,” with Burgess jacking up his voice an octave to sing the Baker’s Wife’s part.
The Tonys brought back the fanfare, but Broadway still faces many challenges | Peter Marks | September 27, 2021 | Washington PostHis three-octave falsetto was also used to good advantage in Mars Attacks!
The Deaths You Missed This Year | Malcolm Jones, Jimmy So, Michael Moynihan, Caitlin Dickson | December 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTI played up one octave, and then I wished to go on by placing my first finger on F sharp.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy Fay
An octave coupler without such extension is incomplete and is no more honest than a stop which only goes down to Tenor C.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerNot only did he provide sub-octave and super-octave couplers freely, but he even added a Swell Sub-quint to Great coupler!
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerClosing the holes again and blowing harder, we get the scale an octave higher.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerIf two notes at an interval of a fifth are held down, a note one octave below the lower one will be heard.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller
British Dictionary definitions for octave
/ (ˈɒktɪv) /
the interval between two musical notes one of which has twice the pitch of the other and lies eight notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scale
one of these two notes, esp the one of higher pitch
(as modifier): an octave leap See also perfect (def. 9), diminished (def. 2), interval (def. 5)
prosody a rhythmic group of eight lines of verse
(ˈɒkteɪv)
a feast day and the seven days following
the final day of this period
the eighth of eight basic positions in fencing
any set or series of eight
consisting of eight parts
Origin of octave
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for octave
[ (ok-tiv) ]
An interval between musical notes in which the higher note is six whole tones, or twelve half tones, above the lower. From the standpoint of physics, the higher note has twice the frequency of the lower. Notes that are an octave apart, or a whole number of octaves apart, sound in some ways like the same note and have the same letter for their names.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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