Phrase guide

ottava rima

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ɒˌtɑːvə ˈɹiːmə/
  • US: /oʊˌtɑvə ˈɹimə/

1

noun

Meaning 1

An arrangement of stanzas of eight lines in heroic verse, with three rhymes, the first six lines rhyming alternately and the last two forming a couplet (ab ab ab cc).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: communications, journalism, literature, media, poetry, publishing, writing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a stanza of eight lines of heroic verse with the rhyme scheme abababcc

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stanza

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ottava rima (literally “eighth rhyme”).

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: օկտավ (ōktav) — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Belarusian: акта́ва (aktáva) — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Catalan: octava reial — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Czech: stance — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Czech: ottava rima — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • French: ottava rima — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Galician: oitava real — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • German: Oktave — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • German: Stanze — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Greek: οκτάβα (oktáva) — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Hebrew: אוֹטַאבַה רִימַה (otávah rímah) — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Italian: ottava rima — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Japanese: オッターヴァ・リーマ (ottāva rīma) — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Occitan: ueitau rima — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Occitan: uechena rima — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Polish: oktawa — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Russian: окта́ва (oktáva) — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Serbo-Croatian: италијанска окта́ва — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Serbo-Croatian: окта́ва ри́ма — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Serbo-Croatian: italijanska oktáva — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Serbo-Croatian: oktáva ríma — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Slovene: stanca — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Slovene: oktava — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Spanish: octava real — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Swedish: stans — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc
  • Ukrainian: окта́ва (oktáva) — arrangement of stanzas of eight lines rhyming ab ab ab cc