different between octopus vs octopi

English

Etymology

From Latin oct?p?s, from Ancient Greek ???????? (okt?pous), from ???? (okt?, “eight”) + ???? (poús, “foot”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??kt.?.p?s/, /??k.t?.p?s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??kt.?.p?s/, /??k.t?.p?s/

Noun

octopus (plural octopuses or octopusses or octopi or octopodes or octopii) (see usage notes)

1. Any of several marine molluscs of the family Octopodidae, having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid and cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers.
2. (uncountable) The flesh of these marine molluscs eaten as food.
3. An organization that has many powerful branches controlled from the centre.

Usage notes

• The plural octopi is hypercorrect, coming from the mistaken notion that the -us in oct?p?s is a Latin second declension ending. The word is actually treated as a third declension noun in Latin. The plural octopodes (Latin: oct?pod?s) follows the Ancient Greek plural, ????????? (okt?podes). The plural octopii is based on an incorrect attempt to pluralise the word based on an incorrect assumption of its origin, and is rare and widely considered to be nonstandard.
• Sources differ on which plurals are acceptable: Fowler's Modern English Usage asserts that “the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses”, while Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries accept octopi as a plural form. The Oxford English Dictionary lists octopuses, octopi, and octopodes (the order reflecting decreasing frequency of use), stating that the last form is rare. The online Oxford dictionary states that the standard plural is octopuses, that octopodes is still occasionally used, and that octopi is incorrect.
• The term octopod (both octopods and octopodes can be found as the plural) is taken from the taxonomic order Octopoda but has no classical equivalent, and is not necessarily synonymous (it can encompass any member of that order). The uncountable use of octopus is usually reserved for octopus flesh consumed for food ("He ate too much octopus last night.").

Synonyms

• polypus

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• ????
• calamari
• cuttlefish
• Kraken
• nautilus
• squid

Verb

octopus (third-person singular simple present octopusses or octopuses, present participle octopussing or octopusing, simple past and past participle octopussed or octopused)

1. To put (or attempt to put) one's fingers, hands or arms in many things or places at roughly the same time.
2. To spread out in long arms or legs in many directions.
3. To plug a large number of devices into a single electric outlet.
4. (by extension) To grow in use vastly beyond what was originally intended.
5. To hunt and catch octopuses.
6. To behave like an octopus.

Anagrams

• cop-outs, copouts, cops out

Dutch

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ???????? (okt?pous), from ???? (okt?, “eight”) + ???? (poús, “foot”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: oc?to?pus

Noun

octopus m (plural octopussen, diminutive octopusje n)

1. octopus

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ???????? (okt?pous, “eight feet”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ok?to?.pu?s/, [?k?t?o?pu?s?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ok?to.pus/, [?k?t???pus]

Noun

oct?p?s m (genitive oct?podis); third declension

1. (New Latin) octopus
   • 1825 — Willem de Haan, Monographiæ ammoniteorum et goniatiteorum specimen, page 10.

     Jam vero testa in hac familia sola universalis pars est, Octopodis tantum exceptis.

     Now truly a shell is a part universal in this single family, octopus the notable exception.

Declension

Third-declension noun.

English

Etymology

Created in Latin by analogy with p?lypus (“octopus”), which was either second or third declension in both Latin and Greek, though historically third in the latter.

Noun

octopi

1. (hypercorrect) plural of octopus

Usage notes

The forms octopuses and octopi appear roughly equally prevalent, with octopodes being much rarer. However, octopi is hypercorrect. See octopus for further discussion.