ochava

English

Etymology

From Spanish ochava (“⅛ Spanish ounce”), from Latin octāvus (“one-eighth”). Doublet of octave, octavo, and oitava.

Noun

ochava (plural ochavas)

1. (historical) A traditional Spanish unit of mass, equivalent to about 3.6 g.

Synonyms

• eighth (historical Spanish mass contexts)

Coordinate terms

• (unit of mass): grano (¹⁄₇₂ ochava), tomin (¹⁄₆ ochava), escrupulo (¹⁄₃ ochava), adarme (¹⁄₂ ochava), castellano (1+¹⁄₃ ochavas), onza (8 ochavas)

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin octāvus (“one-eighth”). Equivalent to ocho +‎ -ava. In reference to weeklong celebrations, from the prevalence of inclusive counting in Latin. Doublet of ochavo. Cognate with Galician and Portuguese oitava and Catalan octava.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oˈt͡ʃaba/ [oˈt͡ʃa.β̞a]
• Rhymes: -aba
• Syllabification: o‧cha‧va

Noun

ochava f (plural ochavas)

1. eighth, one-eighth (one of eight equal parts of any amount or thing)
2. (historical) ochava (a traditional unit of mass equivalent to about 3.6 g)
3. Synonym of chaflán, chamfer (an area added or removed from a wall or piece of furniture to break up corners, a diagonal sidewalk acting as a chamfer at street corners)
4. Alternative form of ochavo, octave (a weeklong saint's festival or local party)
5. octave (the last of the seven days of the festival)

Coordinate terms

• (unit of mass): grano (¹⁄₇₂ ochava), tomín (¹⁄₆ ochava), escrúpulo (¹⁄₃ ochava), adarme (¹⁄₂ ochava), castellano (1+¹⁄₃ ochavas), onza (8 ochavas)

Adjective

ochava f sg

1. feminine singular of ochavo

References

• “ochava”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Further reading

• “ochavo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10