We would go with “octopuses,” a perfectly legitimate English plural, and the oldest attested to. “Octopi” is also an acceptable choice, and one in wide use, but you run the risk of being informed that it’s incorrect. Well-meaning people may tell you that -i is a Latin plural, but “octopus” comes from the Greek.
Simply so, is Octopodes the plural of octopus?
Octopus is not a simple Latin word of the second declension, but a Latinized form of the Greek word oktopous, and its ‘correct’ plural would logically be octopodes. Like octopi, the plural hippopotami is now generally taken to be either funny or absurdly pedantic, and the usual plural is hippopotamuses.
what is more than 1 octopus called? Octopi is sometimes used as the plural of octopus. An octopus is a cephalopod mollusk of the order Octopoda. The word octopi refers to more than one of those animals. As the Oxford English Dictionary states, the plural form octopi is mistakenly formed according to rules for Latin plurals, and is therefore incorrect.
Similarly, it is asked, what is the plural of octopus Oxford dictionary?
The online Oxford dictionary states that the standard plural is octopuses, that octopodes is still occasionally used, and that octopi is incorrect.
What do you call a group of octopi?
A group of octopuses is called a consortium.[1] However most are mostly solitary except when mating (obviously) and where there’s an abundance of food.[2] Animal group names. Octopus – Wikipedia.
19 Related Question Answers Found
What is the plural of giraffe?
giraffes
What’s the plural of hippopotamus?
The noun hippopotamus has a Latin root, which is the derivation of the plural hippopotami. However, hippopotamuses (which adheres to the standard rules for forming plurals) has become marginally more common than hippopotami.
What is the plural of platypus?
Usage notes However, being a fairly novel plural form, it is seldom used; the plurals platypuses, platypus, or, more rarely, platypi are more common. It should be noted that some use the plural form platypi under the impression that platypus is a masculine Latin second declension noun, which it is not.
What’s the plural of rhinoceros?
The plural form of rhinoceros is also rhinoceros. In rare, nonstandard, contexts, the plural form can also be rhinoceroses.
What is the plural of possum?
It can be either “opossum,” i.e., identical with the singular on analogy with many other words for animals which have the same form in the singular and the plural, or a regularized “opposums” (but not a Latinate *”opossi” since the “-i” plural ending is generally used for only for nouns that end in “-us,” e.g., “
What is the plural of mongoose?
Confusion arises over the plural of mongoose because many believe that it should have the same ruling as the plural of goose. Both mongooses and mongeese are acceptable. Of note, mongooses is by far the more common plural.
What is the plural of squid?
squid. Word forms: squidslanguage note: Squid can also be used as the plural form. A squid is a sea creature with a long soft body and many soft arms called tentacles.
What is the plural of ox?
In her latest installment, she explains why the plural of the word ox is oxen instead of oxes. Why do a few words take -en instead of -s or -es to become plural? You may have heard that English is a Germanic language. The -en ending on plurals is something we get from our German roots.
Are octopuses smart?
“They are very smart creatures.” Octopuses, some 300 species of which inhabit tropical waters around the world, can change colors, squirt out poison, and exert a force greater than their own body weight. But calling the eight-armed cousin of your garden snail “smart” seems a bit of a stretch.
What’s the plural of genius?
The normal plural is “geniuses”; “genii” is not used in everyday language. The word “genius” does come from Latin, but it’s gone through a long journey to get to English and its meaning has shifted quite a bit along the way. So it is pluralized according to the normal English pattern.
What is the plural of fish?
Fish is the most common plural form of the word fish, as in Squiggly brought home fish for the aquarium, but there are some instances in which people use fishes instead: Scientists who study fish (ichthyologists), for example, often refer to different species as fishes.
Is Cactus Latin or Greek?
The word “cactus” is derived through Latin from the Ancient Greek κάκτος (kaktos), a name used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant, which may have been the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus).
How many hearts does an octopus have?
three hearts
How many brains does an octopus have?
nine brains
How many tentacles does an octopus have?
This means that octopuses have eight arms and no tentacles, while other cephalopods—such as cuttlefish and squids—have eight arms and two tentacles.
How do you say Octopodes?
Octopodes, it should be noted, takes a slightly different pronunciation than the other two words, placing the emphasis on the second syllable, rather than the first. It more or less rhymes, appropriately enough, with “don’t say that please.”
Are octopuses dangerous?
All octopuses have venom, but few are fatally dangerous. The greater blue-ringed octopus, however, is considered to be one of the most venomous animals known; the venom of one is enough to kill ten grown men. It uses the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, which quickly causes respiratory arrest.
Can you say fishes?
The most common plural form of fish is indeed fish. However, under certain circumstances, you can use fishes as the plural form of fish. Fish can refer to multiple fish, especially when they are all the same species of fish. Fishes, however, usually refers to multiple species of fish, especially in scientific contexts.
What are 2 octopus called?
The plural is octopuses. Many people don’t like octopi, and you will rarely see it in edited works, but it does occasionally appear. The clever octopuses snuck out of their tank at night. Groups of more than two octopi are rarely seen in the wild.