noun
octave
An eight-day period beginning with a religious feast.
The church observed the octave of the feast.
Etymology
Latin octava means eighth. The religious use counts the feast day through its eighth day, naming the observance by the concluding day of that span.
More examples
- Services continued throughout the octave.
- The calendar marked the final day of the octave.
- The reading was assigned to the feast’s octave.
Forms
octave · octaves
Similar words
- feast day
- A feast day is the central celebration; its octave is the eight-day observance beginning with it.