octet

or oc·tette

[ ok-tet ]

noun

1. a company of eight singers or musicians.
2. a musical composition for eight voices or instruments.
3. Prosody. octave ( def 4 ).
4. any group of eight.

octet

/ ɒkˈtɛt /

noun

1. any group of eight, esp eight singers or musicians
2. a piece of music composed for such a group
3. prosody another word for octave
4. chem a group of eight electrons forming a stable shell in an atom

Word History and Origins

Origin of octet¹

1860–65; oct- + -et, as in duet

Word History and Origins

Origin of octet¹

C19: from Latin octo eight, on the model of duet

Example Sentences

The quartet are actually an octet, if their AI counterparts are to be counted – an inventive exercise in transmedia storytelling to match their forward-thinking pop sound.

From Seattle Times

An octet of guest artists improvises in certain passages embedded within the score but also plays written-out music with the rest of the orchestra.

From Seattle Times

He gained renown for his keyboard artistry and charisma leading Episteme, the octet he founded in 1981.

From Seattle Times

Aespa, the K-pop girl group, frequently perform alongside their digital avatars — the quartet is meant to be viewed as an octet with digital twins.

From Seattle Times

If its title, “For Adolphe Sax,” read like a provocation aimed at the 19th-century inventor of the saxophone, then his next BRÖ album, “Machine Gun,” released in 1968 and credited to the Peter Brötzmann Octet, announced all-out war on everything that had come before.

From New York Times

Related Words

• assemblage
• band
• cast
• choir
• chorus
• orchestra
• quartet
• quintet
• sextet
• trio
• troupe