The single-volume British and international English dictionary with the widest coverage of all the riches of the English language. Comprehensive American English dictionary with full audio pronunciations. Full audio pronunciations and many related words. WordWeb Pro Dictionary and Thesaurus.As a word that comes from Greek, it follows Greek rules for plurals. Oxford English Dictionary: octopuses (“ The standard plural in English of octopus is octopuses. Octopus is a genus of cephalopod mollusc in the order Octopoda. Define and translate Spanish and English words in email, web browsers, PDF files.The plural octopodes follows the Ancient Greek plural, ὀκτώποδες.Similarly, it is asked, what is the plural of octopus Oxford dictionary? There are three plural forms of octopus: octopuses, octopi, and octopodes. Plural octopuses or octopi /-ˌpaɪ/ / ˈ ɑːktəˌpaɪ/. The plural of octopus is octopi. Eight tentacles, three plural forms, and only one right way to say it. ( uncountable) The flesh of these marine molluscs eaten as food.
Us English Dictionary Word File Full Audio PronunciationsThe word “octopi,” which follows Latin rules for plurals, is incorrect. As a word that comes from Greek, it follows Greek rules for plurals. The standard plural in English of octopus is octopuses, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The word “octopi,” which follows Latin rules for plurals, is incorrect. Octopi follows Latin rules for making words plural but octopodes follows Greek pluralization rules. According to Oxford Dictionaries online, "hippopotamuses" is the preferred plural. : from Greek oktopous (see also Octopoda). Plural octopuses or octopi /-ˌpaɪ/ / ˈɑːktəˌpaɪ/. How old do octopuses live? But you would never know this from a dictionary. Some words' plurals end in -i even though they are not Latin, or that is not the Latin plural, e.g., octopi is sometimes used as a plural for octopus (the standard English plural … / ˈ ɑːktəˌpʊs/. The Oxford English Dictionary lists octopuses, octopi, and octopodes (the order reflecting decreasing frequency of use), stating that the last form is rare. Since octopus is Greek in origin, the classical Greek plural is octopodes, a form that is still occasionally used (but very rarely). Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that Latin origins should have Latin endings. Lastly, octopodes stems from the belief that because octopus is originally Greek, it should have a Greek ending. Star-sucker Pygmy Octopus (Octopus wolfi) Another one of the smallest octopuses scientists have found to date is the Star-sucker Pygmy octopus. “sweep”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com Oxford University Press, 2019–present. Windows 95 emulator macHowever, the word octopus comes from Greek, and the Greek plural form octopodes is still occasionally used. English is full of irregular plural forms based on Latin and Greek. Wiktionary gives ethoi as a/the 'hypercorrect' plural and ethoses as a/the 'nonstandard' plural of ethos.Neither is much used if one is to believe Google data, though ethoses seems to be the less uncommon choice. Since octopus is Greek in origin, the classical Greek plural is octopodes, a form that is still occasionally used (but very rarely). Fowler, in his Dictionary of Modern English Usage (Oxford, Clarendon Press 1926), advises the reader to use octopuses. Octopuses are masters of camouflage. Currently, octopuses is the most common form in the UK as well as the US octopodes is rare, and octopi is often objected to as incorrect. The ''(Oxford English Dictionary) lists (term), (term), and (term) (the order reflecting decreasing frequency of use), stating that the last form is rare. 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”. At least, according to my trusty New Oxford American Dictionary on my MacBook Pro. The -us at the end is not analogous to the -us in fungus rather it is part of the suffix -pus which is a Latinization of Greek ποῦς, foot. Təˌpɑɪ / a sea creature with a soft oval body and eight tentacles (= arms) (Definition of octopus from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © … Learn more. It’s simple! The word ‘octopi’, which follows latin rules for plurals, is actually incorrect - who knew!? Firstly, it states: ORIGIN mid 18th cent. Octopus ( plural octopuses or octopusses or octopi or octopodes or octopii) (see usage notes) Any of several marine molluscs of the family Octopodidae, having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid and cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers. The noun octopus has a Greek root. Basic rules: Apostrophes mark where letters have dropped out of a contraction, such as don't for do not or it's for it is. The Oxford English Dictionary (2008 Draft Revision) lists octopuses, octopi and octopodes (in that order) it labels octopodes "rare", and notes that octopi derives from the "apprehension" that octōpūs is a second declension Latin noun, though it is not. Things like, "What is the difference between Monologue and Soliloquy?" The standard plural in English of octopus is octopuses (according to the Oxford English Dictionary). They are not in these grammar books. Should similarly be off-topic unless the asker can show he/she looked up the defs and is still confused. The less common past tense forms that end with a t, such as dreamt, are called irregular verbs. The standard plural in English of octopus is octopuses, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. "Fowler’s Modern English Usage states that 'the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses,' and that octopi is misconceived and octopodes pedantic. In Latin, some plurals end with an i. The online Oxford dictionary states that the standard plural is octopuses, that octopodes is still occasionally used, and that octopi is incorrect. Large octopuses have been known to catch and kill some species of sharks. What IS the plural of “octopus”? Specifically, the article "The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'" has some very good information that should be included and cited. Oxford A-Z of English usage - a quick and effective guide to proper English. Origin ME: from Latin, lit. However, the word octopus comes from Greek and the Greek plural form octopodes is still occasionally used. USAGE The standard English plural of octopus is octopuses. Octopuses is the next plural, which gives the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word. As the Merriam-Webster dictionary points out, people use three different terms, however: octopi, octopuses, and octopodes. The online Oxford dictionary states that the standard plural is octopuses, that octopodes is still occasionally used, and that octopi is incorrect. Lastly, octopodes stems from the belief that because octopus is originally Greek, it … Grammatically speaking, the plural for octopus is octopuses. Latin words are sometimes pluralized with an -i, but octopus originates from Greek, not Latin. Definition of octopus-trousers noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Why do some dictionaries also list octopi as a possibility? An expanse or a swath, a strip of land. This is the British English definition of octopus.View American English definition of octopus. However, the word octopus comes from Greek and the Greek plural form octopodes is still occasionally used. The word is actually treated as a third declension noun in Latin. Octopuses is the next plural, which gives the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word. Regular Verbs Versus Irregular Verbs. Forums) 1) a meeting or medium for an exchange of views. The first English example of “octopus” recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary comes from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London for the year 1758: “The Polypus, particularly so called, the Octopus, Preke, or Pour-contrel.” But in fact the word was around much earlier, as we said, in scientific Latin.
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