ottava

American

[oh-tah-vuh, awt-tah-vah] / oʊˈtɑ və, ɔtˈtɑ vɑ /

adverb

Music.

(of notes in a score) at an octave higher than written (when placed above the staff ) or lower than written (when placed below the staff ). 8va

ottava British

/ əʊˈtɑːvə /

noun

an interval of an octave See all'ottava

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ottava

1810–20; < Italian: octave

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023