octave

/oktiv/

  • noun 1 Music a series of eight notes occupying the interval between (and including) two notes, one having twice or half the pitch of the other. 2 Music the interval between two such notes, or the notes themselves sounding together. 3 a group or stanza of eight lines.

  — ORIGIN originally referring to a period of eight days following and including a Church festival; from Latin octava dies ‘eighth day’.

Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary

About this dictionary
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English contains 145,000 words, phrases, and definitions.
Find out more about Oxford's range of English dictionaries
Sign up for the AskOxford Word of the Day

Search the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Search the Concise Dictionary of First Names