Octonary Explained

For the base-8 numeral system, see octal.

An octonary is an eight-line section in a poem, song or psalm.^[1] The most notable example is found in Psalm 119^[2]

In the French renaissance the octonaire became a form of moralizing chanson.

It can also mean of 8th rank or order (primary, secondary, tertiary … octonary).

Hermes As Pimander said by way of Oracle to the Octonary, Thou dost well, O Son, to desire the Solution of the Tabernacle, for thou art purified.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Merriam-Webster's encyclopedia of literature 1995 p825 "octonary \'ak-ta-,ner-e \ In poetry, a stanza or group of eight verses;"
2. Calvin Bible Commentaries: Psalms, Part IV p287 "Some call this the octonary psalm, because that, through every successive eight verses, the initial words of each line begin with the same letter in alphabetical order."
3. Web site: 2015-05-23 . The Seventh Book. - Hermetic Academy Library . 2024-05-14 . www.hermetics.net . en-US.