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See also: Octopus


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A small octopus served as part of an appetizer in a Chinese restaurant in Singapore


From Latin octopūs, from Ancient Greek ὀκτώπους (oktṓpous), from ὀκτώ (oktṓ, eight) + πούς (poús, foot).



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

  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[edit]

The plural octopi is hypercorrect, coming from the mistaken notion that the -us in octopūs is a Latin second declension ending. The word is actually treated as a third declension noun in Latin. The plural octopodes follows the Ancient Greek plural, ὀκτώποδες (oktṓpodes). 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 term octopod (either plural octopods and octopodes can be found) 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 collective form octopus is usually reserved for animals consumed for food.


Derived terms[edit]


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  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: oc‧to‧pus


octopus m (plural octopussen, diminutive octopusje n)

  1. octopus



From Ancient Greek ὀκτώπους (oktṓpous, eight feet).



octōpūs m (genitive octōpodis); 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.


Third declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative octōpūs octōpodēs
genitive octōpodis octōpodum
dative octōpodī octōpodibus
accusative octōpodem octōpodēs
ablative octōpode octōpodibus
vocative octōpūs octōpodēs