Definition

Noun: 1. A standard book size: The size of a book or page resulting from folding a full sheet of printing paper three times to produce eight leaves (sixteen pages). It is often abbreviated as "8vo" or "8°". 2. A book of this size: A book that is produced in this format.

Usage

• Octavo is a technical term used primarily in printing, publishing, bookbinding, and book collecting to describe the physical format and size of a book.
• It is often used attributively (like an adjective) before nouns like "size," "format," or "volume."
• Example:

Examples

Advanced Usage

• In detailed bibliographic descriptions, the term specifies how the original sheets were folded, which helps identify different editions. For example, a "crown octavo" or "royal octavo" indicates the starting size of the paper sheet before folding.

Variants and Related Words

• 8vo: The standard abbreviation for octavo.
• 8°: A traditional typographical abbreviation for octavo.
• Folio: A larger book size made by folding a sheet once (two leaves).
• Quarto (4to): A book size made by folding a sheet twice (four leaves).
• Duodecimo (12mo): A smaller book size made by folding a sheet to form twelve leaves.

Synonyms

• Eightvo (less common)
• Book size

Notes

• The exact dimensions of an octavo book can vary depending on the original size of the sheet of paper (e.g., crown, demy, royal). Therefore, "octavo" describes a rather than one fixed measurement.

Noun

1. the size of a book whose pages are made by folding a sheet of paper three times to form eight leaves