What does "octave" mean?
An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.
Octave
/ˈɑktɪv/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.
- Grammar: octave is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: antistrophe, bassoon, block flute, bombard.
- Useful contrasts: fifths, ninth, nonet.
- Usage evidence: If I change key, I can't hold the pitch. It's better if we go with the original key, and I sometimes sing an octave lower.
How to use "octave"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "octave" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "octave" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "octave" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "octave" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "octave" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "antistrophe" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "octave", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.
"The melody jumps up an octave at the beginning, then later drops back down an octave."
- 2 a rhythmic group of eight lines of verse wordnet
- 3 The pitch an octave higher than a given pitch.
"The bass starts on a low E, and the tenor comes in on the octave."
- 4 a musical interval of eight tones wordnet
- 5 A coupler on an organ which allows the organist to sound the note an octave above the note of the key pressed (cf sub-octave)
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a feast day and the seven days following it wordnet
- 7 A poetic stanza consisting of eight lines; usually used as one part of a sonnet.
"With mournful melody it continued this octave."
- 8 The eighth defensive position, with the sword hand held at waist height, and the tip of the sword out straight at knee level.
"If they always do a lateral parry quarte, and never a semicircular octave, that gives you an opening."
- 9 The day that is one week after a feast day in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
"[…] the Chamberlains' records of the companies' visits to their towns are, for the most part, not precisely dates, but merely group them together […] within their annual accounting period which normally […] ran from Michaelmas (29 September) to Michaelmas, or its octave (6 October)."
- 10 An eight-day period beginning on a feast day in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
"1870, The Night Hours of the Church, trans. Rev. J. M. Neale Of an Octave the Office is said. or at least commemorated, (when any Sunday or Feast intervene), for eight successive days."
- 11 A small cask of wine, one eighth of a pipe.
- 12 An octonion. obsolete
- 13 Any of a number of coherent-noise functions of differing frequency that are added together to form Perlin noise.
- 14 The subjective vibration of a planet.
"Mercury then joins its higher octave and generous counterpart Jupiter early next week, and it opens gates of opportunity."
Verb
- 1 Alternative form of octavate. alt-of, alternative
Adjective
- 1 Consisting of eight; eight in number. not-comparable, obsolete
"Boccace[…] is said to have invented the octave rhye"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"If I change key, I can't hold the pitch. It's better if we go with the original key, and I sometimes sing an octave lower."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "octave"?
Common synonyms include: antistrophe, bassoon, block flute, bombard, book, bourdon.
How do you use "octave" in a sentence?
If I change key, I can't hold the pitch. It's better if we go with the original key, and I sometimes sing an octave lower.
How do you pronounce "octave"?
Pronounced /ˈɑktɪv/.
Etymology
From Latin octavus (“eighth”). Doublet of octavo, ochava, and oitava.