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octave

1 synonyms and 0 antonyms for octave, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — The musical distance between one note and another note with double or half its pitch frequency, spanning eight notes of the scale.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

musical octave

How to use octave

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

an octave higher sing in octaves the opening octave of a sonnet

Etymology

From Latin octavus, "eighth" — the same root that gives us "October" and "octet".

Full origin of octave →

Frequently asked questions

What does “octave” mean?

The word “octave” means the musical distance between one note and another note with double or half its pitch frequency, spanning eight notes of the scale. In plain terms, a jump of eight notes in music, or a block of eight lines in a poem.

How do you pronounce “octave”?

“Octave” is pronounced OK-tihv (/ˈɑktɪv/ in IPA).

How do you use “octave” in a sentence?

Here is “octave” used in a sentence: “She sang the final line an octave higher than written.”

What part of speech is “octave”?

“Octave” is a noun.

Where does the word “octave” come from?

The word “octave” comes from Latin. From Latin octavus, "eighth" — the same root that gives us "October" and "octet".

Is “octave” a common word?

“Octave” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “octave” have?

“Octave” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the musical distance between one note and another note with double or half its pitch frequency, spanning eight notes of the scale.

Related words

Octave in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911) fifth fourth interval octave key octavo second seventh sixth third unison

Nearby words

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Synonyms and antonyms from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.