diminished octave

noun

A musical interval in Western music formed by narrowing an octave by a chromatic semitone. It is one chromatic semitone narrower than a perfect octave. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it consists of eleven semitones, spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, and is enharmonically equivalent to a major seventh.

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Meanings

noundiminished octave (plural diminished octaves)

plural diminished octaves

  1. entertainmentA musical interval in Western music formed by narrowing an octave by a chromatic semitone. It is one chromatic semitone narrower than a perfect octave. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it consists of eleven semitones, spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, and is enharmonically equivalent to a major seventh.
Cite this entry
APA

diminished octave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20octave

MLA

“diminished octave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20octave. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diminished octave,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20octave.

Source: diminished octave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.