all' ottava

[ ahl uh-tah-vuh; Italian ahl-lawt-tah-vah ]
/ ˌɑl əˈtɑ və; Italian ˌɑl lɔtˈtɑ vɑ /

noun Music.

a direction (8va), placed above or below the staff to indicate that the passage covered is to be played one octave higher or lower respectively.

Origin of all' ottava

1815–25; < Italian: literally, at the octave

Words nearby all' ottava

all whites, all wool and a yard wide, all work and no play (makes jack a dull boy), all work and no play makes jack a dull boy, all year round, all' ottava, all'antica, all'ottava, all's fair in love and war, all's well that ends well, all-