What is the plural for octopus?

Both octopuses and octopi are acceptable plurals for octopus. Of the two, octopuses is the simpler and more commonly used. The proposed plural octopodes is based on the plural of the Ancient Greek word from which octopus ultimately derives. But it's rarely used outside of the octopuses vs. octopi debate.

Did they change the plural of octopus?

Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus , coming from the belief that words of Latin origin should have Latin endings. Octopuses was the next plural, giving the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word.

What is a group of octopus called?

consortium Octopus / Collective noun

How do you use the plural form of octopus in a sentence?

Merriam-Webster notes that this plural emerged later in the nineteenth century, and has the attached –es ending to follow the English formation of plurals. There you have it: The most commonly accepted plural usage for octopus is octopuses. Correct: The clever octopuses snuck out of their tank at night.

What is the plural of Starbucks?

Proper noun Starbucks (plural Starbuckses or Starbucks )

What is a half person half octopus called?

Cecaelia – Half-human, half-octopus. The term was coined by fans in the late 2000s to describe characters such as Ursula from The Little Mermaid and may also apply to Harry Styles in the music video of "Music for a Sushi Restaurant".

What is a group of humans called?

Answer and Explanation: One of the smallest groups is a tribe , where a few families or individuals live and work as a single unit. The next size up would be a community, comprised of a few hundred or more people, who contribute to the development or a larger area. The next largest category would be a town, then a city.

What is a squid or octopus called?

They are cousins—both part of the group cephalopoda—a group of marine mollusks that include squid, octopus, nautilus, and snails .

What is the plural of a fox?

The plural for fox is foxes . However, when they are gathered together in a group, there are several collective nouns that can apply. These include calling them a skulk of foxes, a troop of foxes, a leash of foxes, a lead of foxes, and even an earth of foxes.

What is the plural for cactus?

The plural of cactus can be either cacti (from the Latin plural) or the conventional English plural cactuses . “ Cacti” is the Latin plural of cactus and “Cactuses” is the English plural although “cacti” has the edge.

What is the plural of hippopotamus?

plural hippopotamuses or hippopotami /-ˌmaɪ/ /ˌhɪpəˈpɑːtəˌmaɪ/

Which is correct, octopuses or octopi?

“Octopuses” gives the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word. Generally, when a noun enters into English, it is pluralized as an English word rather than in its original form. Octopuses may sound peculiar to some, but this is the preferred plural.

Is the plural of octopus not octopi?

The cephalopods do have eight tentacles and there may be three ways to describe a group of them, but only one is technically correct. 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.

Is it octopuses or octopi Merriam-Webster?

It would be fair to call Merriam-Webster an authority on language, so when the dictionary maker speaks, we listen. They've provided an answer to the “octopus v. octopi” debate, and the proper word to use is… well, both of them are fine, but technically, “octopuses” is “more right.”

What is the Plural of Octopus? - Ocean Conservancy (2024)

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