octave

noun

oc·​tave ˈäk-tiv How to pronounce octave (audio)
-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 Conn experimented with an underslung octave mechanism and an ineffective bulging device on the end of the neck called a microtuner, for tiny pitch adjustments. Chris Almeida, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2024 On an even deeper, more personal level, Batiste’s usual upbeat tone lowers but an octave when speaking about his wife’s potential fates. A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 2 Feb. 2024 Her mellifluous sound, spanning two octaves, is part Snow White communing with the birds, part haunted theremin. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Foxes can make sounds that spans five octaves, the same range as Mariah Carey. Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2024 Programmable micro-controllers were used to divide up an 8 MHz clock signal, creating circuits with several octaves of the same note. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 19 Dec. 2023 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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'octave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of octave was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near octave

Cite this Entry

“Octave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octave. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

octave

noun
oc·​tave ˈäk-tiv How to pronounce octave (audio)
-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

More from Merriam-Webster on octave

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