Dictionary

octavate en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈɒktəveɪt/
• /ˈɒkteɪveɪt/

Etymology

First attested in 1922; formed as octav(e) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), in the musical sense after the French octavier.

Meanings

1. (intransitive, of an instrument) To sound one octave higher or lower. ▸ To resonate or sound one octave higher or lower.
   • When it octavates, the holes being closed, it often assumes its natural pitch again on opening the holes, instead of continuing its tones to the octave above, so that it octavates much more easily when the holes are closed than when they are unstopped. 1957, Marin Mersenne, translated by Roger Eddington Chapman, Harmonie Universelle, page 305:
   • ‘Octavate’ (i.e. overblow at the octave. Does decimate mean to overblow at the tenth? Is the Primate the fundamental note of an instrument?). 1948, The Galpin Society Journal, I-IV, page 69:
   • Adolphe Sax, when he invented the saxophone, had at first only in mind the object of improving the clarinet by permitting it to ‘octavate.’ 1947, Ernest Closson, translated by Delano Ames, History of the Piano, page 64:
   • The string, originally divided, will continue for some time to “octavate”. 1922, Diran Alexanian [aut.] and Frederick Fairbanks [tr.], Complete Cello Technique (2003 repub.), page 105
2. (intransitive, of a person) To sound one octave higher or lower. ▸ To span (at least) one octave in playing a musical instrument.
   • Ability to ornament, octavate, play chords and do some improvising. 1984, VdGSA News, XXI-XXIV, page 39:
   • 2007, Michael Gallant, “OCTAVATE!: Spread your hands to create powerful sounds.” in Keyboard XXXIII–XXXIV, page unknown
   • He varies and octavates, leaving Bach listeners thunderstruck. 2004, Deutschland, page 23:
3. (construed with up, of an instrument, rare, transitive) To sound one octave higher or lower. ▸ To double the pitch of (a part of itself).
   • A 12-string doubles the octaves of only the lower four strings…. A doubled, capoed guitar “octavates up” the top two strings. 1999, Jon Chappell, The Recording Guitarist, page 133:
4. (rare) To convert (the expression of a number) from denary to octal notation.
   • To octavate the number one hundred the reasoning is as follows. The square of eight goes into one hundred once with remainder thirty-six. This remainder contains eight to the first power four times with remainder four. Hence to express one hundred to the base 8 we write the digits 144 which in somewhat longer form may be put as 100 = 1×8² + 4×8 + 4. 1949, The American Mathematical Monthly, LVI, page 463:

Forms

Antonyms

decimate (antonym(s) of)

Deriveds

octavated · octavating

Relateds

octavation

Translations (3)

fr octavier (sound one octave higher or lower) · pt oitavar (sound one octave higher or lower) · nl octaveren (sound one octave higher or lower)

octavate en · NOUN · etymology 2

Etymology

First attested in the 2000, from octave + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Meanings

1. (rare) octave (transfiguratively)
   • There is an octavate of odours as well as octavates of notes in music. Like the keys of instruments, certain odours coincide or blend. 2000, Supriya Kumar Bhattacharjee, Handbook of Aromatic Plants, page 18:

Forms