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octet

octet

1 6.5
A group of eight musicians or singers who perform together
  • noun
  • /ɑkˈtɛt/
translation icon : octeto
  • That day will dawn when the coach will come to you and say, 'Knock-em-cold Hooligan has been slipping because of too many rehearsals for the boys' octet.'

Examples

  • After some months of hard work and coordinating talent, the new octet was formed in 2010 and Avante was born—with Lacey naming the group!

    Blog text (25)
  • As if relieved, the octet replies together—as one.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I was a part of an all-women's octet.

  • The scene ends with an octet: two sopranos, a mezzo-soprano, and two tenors.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Avante Contemporary Vocal Jazz Octet (Lacey on the far right).

    Blog text (25)
  • There are many superb pieces for percussion ensemble, ranging from duos to octets and from very easy to advanced.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Part checks consist of having students sing portions of their choral repertoire individually, in quartets, or in octets.

    Academic text (2013)
  • In "Pride of Youth" (#24), in contrast, the "Even As" and "Even So" halves of the simile are evenly distributed in the octet's two quatrains.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The wonderful serenades for woodwind octet by Mozart and Beethoven (two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, and two French horns) can provide an excellent starting point.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The octet performed a beautiful harmony that captivated the audience.

Synonyms

band
vsoctet
1.0

A group of musicians who play together

requires exactly eight performers rather than an unspecified number
musical group
vsoctet
4 2.3

People who play music together for a crowd

specifies that the group always has eight performers not any size
octette
vsoctet
  • UK
8.6

A group of eight musicians or singers that perform together

has identical meaning but is a variant spelling used interchangeably
eightsome
vsoctet
  • Archaic
7.8

A group of eight people who act together

is specific to musicians and singers rather than any eight people
octad
vsoctet
9.0

A group of eight people or things

is limited to performing musicians or singers not objects or any eight

Antonyms

148 3.7

Music played by one person without other players

31 3.1

A performance by two people together, usually singing or playing

Surface Forms

octet singular
octets plural

Morphology

octet = eight (semi-transparent) = oct + et

The word denotes a set of eight formed with the bound combining form 'oct-' plus the diminutive/collective suffix '-et'; because 'oct-' is a bound form rather than a common standalone English base, learners may only partially recognise the morphological pieces.

Etymology

The word octet comes from the part oct- meaning 'eight' and the French ending -et meaning 'a small group', so an octet is a group of 'eight' musicians who play together.