What do you call a plural octopus?
By now, it’s widely known that the technical correct plural usage for the word octopus is octopuses. But if we’re being honest, we’ve all indulged in the random octopi usage before.
Is the plural of octopus Octopoda?
Firstly, it states: ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Greek oktopous (see also Octopoda). USAGE The standard English plural of octopus is octopuses. However, the word octopus comes from Greek, and the Greek plural form is octopodes ( |äk’täp??
What is the plural of octopus Oxford?
[countable, uncountable] (plural octopuses)
Why is plural of octopus not octopi?
While “octopi” has become popular in modern usage, it’s wrong. The letter “i” as a suffix to indicate a plural noun only applies to words with Latin roots, like “cacti” for more than one cactus. But octopus is derived from Greek, so the proper pluralization in this case would be “odes” if it was ever used.
What is the correct plural form of cactus?
Cactus plural: Cacti is a noun. It is the plural form of cactus, which refers to members of a family of spiny plants. Cacti are famous for having sharp spines.
When did the plural of octopus become octopuses?
When “octopus” was first mentioned in the English language in the mid-1700s, it was pluralized as “octopuses.” That said, some grammarians wanted English to be like the less irregular Latin language, so they started putting Latin pluralizations on Latin-based English words, which led to “octopi.”
What is the correct plural of rhinoceros?
noun. rhi·noc·er·os | \ rī-ˈnäs-rəs , rə-, -ˈnä-sə- \ plural rhinoceroses also rhinoceros or rhinoceri\ rī-ˈnä-sə-ˌrī , rə- \
What’s the plural of salmon?
noun. salm·on | \ ˈsa-mən \ plural salmon also salmons.
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.
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.
Do you say octopi or octopus in Rock Paper Scissors?
Sometimes it feels like you’re playing a losing hand of rock paper scissors. If you pick octopi they’ll correct you to octopodes. If you say octopodes, you’ll be corrected to octopuses.
Which is the correct plural of octopi or hippopotami?
Like octopi, the plural hippopotami is now generally taken to be either funny or absurdly pedantic, and the usual plural is hippopotamuses. Common usage appears to indicate a slight preference for termini rather than terminuses, but syllabuses rather than syllabi.