— octaval /ok tay"veuhl, ok"teuh-/ , adj.
/ok"tiv, -tayv/ , n.
1. Music.
a. a tone on the eighth degree from a given tone.
b. the interval encompassed by such tones.
c. the harmonic combination of such tones.
d. a series of tones, or of keys of an instrument, extending through this interval.
2. a pipe-organ stop whose pipes give tones an octave above the normal pitch of the keys used.
3. a series or group of eight.
4. Also called octet . Pros.
a. a group of eight lines of verse, esp. the first eight lines of a sonnet in the Italian form. Cf. sestet (def. 1).
b. a stanza of eight lines.
5. the eighth of a series.
6. Eccles.
a. the eighth day from a feast day, counting the feast day as the first.
b. the period of eight days beginning with a feast day.
7. one eighth of a pipe of wine.
8. Fencing. the eighth of eight defensive positions.
adj.
9. pitched an octave higher.
[ 1300-50; ME octava eighth part, n. use of fem. of octavus, equiv. to oct- OCT- + -avus adj. suffix ]