Does anyone know where the name squid came from? I mean if we have an octopus, wouldn't biologists have named our resisdent ceph friend the decapus? Maybe the has been posted already... if it is, sorry, but I look forward to anyones reply

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=squid&searchmode=none

"squid - marine mollusk, 1613, of unknown origin; perhaps a sailors' variant of squirt, so called for the "ink" it squirts out. "

i guess that doesnt really help..... next time im in an adequate library, i'll try the OED (if there isnt a complete online version thats free)

That's better than what I've been able to find, WK - all I've got at arms' length is the Richard Ellis list of foreign language names for giant squid!

wikipedia's disambiguation page wasnt even within three centuries of my other find so i think ill have to resort to paper....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid_%28disambiguation%29