octave
UK: ˈɒktɪv | US: ˈɑːktɪv
n. 1. A series of eight musical notes occupying the interval between (and including) two notes, one having twice or half the frequency of the other.
n. 2. The interval between two such notes.
n. 3. A group or stanza of eight lines in poetry.
The word "octave" traces back to Latin "octava," meaning "eighth," derived from "octo" (eight). It entered Middle English via Old French, originally describing the eighth day after a festival in ecclesiastical contexts. By the 14th century, its musical sense emerged, reflecting the eight-note span of diatonic scales. The poetic use (eight-line stanza) appeared later, mirroring the numerical logic. The morpheme "oct" persists in modern English (e.g., "octopus," "October"), while "ave" functions as a noun-forming suffix.
The melody repeats at a higher octave.
Sing the scale and stop at the octave.
The poem’s first octave introduces the central metaphor.
Violins and flutes played in perfect octaves.
She transposed the piece down an octave for the choir.