Musical Direction all'ottava
Origin of ottavaItalian
At an octave higher or lower than the notes written. Used chiefly as a direction, positioned above or below a staff.
Origin of ottavaItalian (all')ottava (at the) octave from Medieval Latin octāva from Latin feminine of octāvus eighth ; see octave .
- (music) One octave higher. Marking indicates a passage to be transposed up one octave. Abbreviation: 8va.
Borrowed from Italian ottava, meaning "octave", the feminine ordinal form of otto, meaning "eight".