What is the correct plural for octopus?
octopuses
Grammatically speaking, the plural for octopus is octopuses. As the Merriam-Webster dictionary points out, people use three different terms, however: octopi, octopuses, and octopodes.
What’s the difference between octopus and octopi?
An octopus is a cephalopod mollusk of the order Octopoda. The word octopi refers to more than one of those animals. Despite its relatively common usage, octopi is an improper plural. Latin words are sometimes pluralized with an -i, but octopus originates from Greek, not Latin.
What is the collective noun for an octopus?
the most likely answer to the question, “what is the collective noun for octopus?” a tangle of octopuses. (octopi as the plural is a bit of a red herring, from wiki: “Fowler’s Modern English Usage states that ‘the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses,’ and that octopi is misconceived and octopodes pedantic.”)
What is the plural of octopus in the Oxford dictionary?
noun. /ˈɒktəpəs/ /ˈɑːktəpʊs/ [countable, uncountable] (plural octopuses)
Is octopi plural for octopus?
Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that Latin origins should have Latin endings. Octopuses is the next plural, which gives the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word.
What is a family of octopus called?
Octopus is the largest genus of octopuses, comprising more than 100 species. These species are widespread throughout the world’s oceans. Many species formerly placed in the genus Octopus are now assigned to other genera within the family Octopodidae.
What is the plural of ostrich?
UK /ˈɒstrɪtʃ/ singular. ostrich. plural. ostriches.
What is a plural of platypus?
However, given that “platypodes” has for some unfathomable reason never become popular, the dictionary goes on to say that the accepted plural is “platypuses” or (particularly in scientific and conservation contexts) “platypus”.
What do you call Octopus that has more than one leg?
More than one Octopus is Octopi. They have eight legs. Eat fish. Live in the ocean. Those are only the basics though. What do you call a group of octopus? More than one is octopi. But is a group of Octopi a pod? a school? What does octopi mean? Octopi is the plural for octopus so it simply means more than one
Which is the correct plural of the word octopus?
The three main plurals for “octopus” come from the different ways the English language adopts plurals. Octopi is the oldest plural of “octopus,” coming from the belief that Latin origins should have Latin endings. Octopuses is the next plural, which gives the word an English ending as its been adopted as an English word.
Can a person see more than one octopus at a time?
Few people have seen more than one octopus in the same place at the same time—they’re usually solitary creatures, after all—but let’s suppose you did. What would you call them? Octopi? Octopuses?
Why is it called OctoPi instead of octopodes?
Octopi is right because it’s old. It’s pretty common now for people to discount the term octopi. This is because this suffix uses a Latin pluralization on a Greek word. Still, that can all be put aside since “octopi” has been common use since long before the other terms existed.