An octave is a musical interval of eight notes. Sing from “do” to “do” — on key — and you will have an octave.
Like octagon and octopus, the key to an octave is “eight.” An octave may be the entire eight-note scale, or just the bottom and top notes, like C and C. Octave can also refer to an eight-line group in an Italian sonnet, or an eight-day festival; in fact, the word comes from the Latin expression octava dies, meaning “eighth day” — as in the eighth festival day after a feast. The ave in octave is usually pronounced “iv.”
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a musical interval of eight tones
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2 |
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a rhythmic group of eight lines of verse
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3 |
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a feast day and the seven days following it
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