4 ms·
For any pedants who cringed reading "octopuses" instead of "octopi", here's the wiki section to reassure that this is actually correct: http://en.wikipedia.org
by kentosi 12y ago
For any pedants who cringed reading "octopuses" instead of "octopi", here's the wiki section to reassure that this is actually correct:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus#Etymology_and_pluralization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus#Etymology_and_pluraliza...
Other sources through Google also confirm this.
- quotient 12y agoWe should note that this is for the worst kind of pedant only: the wrong kind. It's also important to note that the most correct of all forms (though also more archaic) is octopodes.
- oska 12y agoI noticed the author used octopodan. First time I think I've seen that word. > But she was very significant to me, both as an individual and as a representative from her octopodan world.
- jonchang 12y agoIt's a common adjective formation. Octopoda -> octopodan, compare to Mollusca -> molluscan.
- bjt 12y agoWhat makes octopodes more correct? All the dictionaries cited preferred octopuses.
- thelibrarian 12y agoI have a friend who says pluralising "octopus" as "octopi" shows ignorance of three languages - English, Latin, and Greek. "Octopus" is of Greek origin and the Greek plural is "octopodes". The Latin plural is "polyporum" (the singular being "polypus"). The English plural is "octopuses" as we add "s" or "es" when pluralising.
- sbmassey 12y ago'polyporum' would be genitive plural 'of the octopuses'. The more usual nominative plural would 'polypi'
- thisjepisje 12y agoOn the other hand, you could say that not accepting "octopi" as a plural of "octopus" shows 'ignorance' of languages in general.