ottava: Meaning and Definition of

ot•ta•va

Pronunciation: (ō-tä'vuIt.ôt-tä'vä), [key]
— adv. Music.
  1. (of notes in a score) at an octave higher than written (when placed above the staff&hasp;) or lower than written (when placed below the staff&hasp;). Abbr.: 8va
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.