Octavo

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A book format characterized by folding a large sheet into eight sections, typically resulting in a size of about 6 x 9 inches, often used for certain kinds of printed works
2. This denotes a specific size of a book achieved by folding a single large sheet into eight leaves, commonly resulting in dimensions around 6 x 9 inches
3. A book format created by folding each printed sheet to produce eight individual pages, often measuring roughly 6 by 9 inches

Etymology: "Octavo" is Latin for "in eight," from the ablative of "octavus" (eighth), and the name describes the physical result of the printing method rather than any feature of the text itself. A large printed sheet was folded three times, creating sixteen leaves in a book, but this format is named for the eight pages on each side of the folded sheet. The same Latin root gives English "octave," the interval of eight notes in a musical scale, and "octave" and "octavo" are doublets, two words that descend from one source but arrived in English by different routes. "Octave" passed through French and carries the sense of counting eight steps up a scale, while "octavo" entered English as a technical bookbinding and printing term, keeping the number eight attached to a sheet of paper.