noun
octave
A group of eight related elements.
The sonnet's opening octave introduces a problem the ending resolves.
Etymology
Latin octava means eighth. The word broadened to a set or sequence organized around eight elements.
More examples
- She divides the sixteen-line poem into two octaves.
- The final line of the octave marks a shift in tone.
- We compare the octaves of two sonnets in class.
Forms
octave · octaves
Similar words
- octet
- Often names eight performers or a composition written for them.
- stanza
- Names a group of verse lines, not necessarily eight.