Is Octopi the Correct Plural of Octopus?

Linguistic sticklers will tell you that it should be octopoda, in keeping with the Greek origin of the word. The plural i or ii is from Latin. Scientific names are often based on Latin words, so this may be why scientists use it in the stuff Greg reads. You can confidently say octopuses, too. Or you can skip it entirely and refer to "all members of the genus Octopus."

Melissa
 
Melissa's right, infact...OCTOPI is the false plural for Octopus.

Although it is often supposed that octopi is the 'correct' plural of octopus, and it has been in use for longer than the usual Anglicized plural octopuses, it in fact originates as an error. 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.
 
"Ok, we don't live in ancient Greece"
No wonder everyone looks at me funny, with the toga on and all...oh well, bring on the women and wine!!!
 
i refuse, even under the constraints of my native (not to mention other) language(s) [including Tony's blasphemous :smile: comment http://www.tonmo.com/sitefaq.php] to give in to the octopuses movement..... i say pluralize more things in -i... not just those ending in vowel + s.....

for example: the supreme bird in africa? those wily ostri.....

thus spake the kiboko :wink:


:cthulhu: :heart: :beer:
 
I'm going to have to upset the sticklers with my take on this one. Although that hideous text-messaging speak will hopefully not overpower us, I must point out that modern English (especially American English) is and has been a constantly evolving language. For hundreds of years it has been pulling in words, turns of speech, grammatical variations from innumerable foreign tongues, mixing and matching freely, constantly breaking it's own rules from generation to generation, and then incorporating these dreaded alien influences into official speech. You can kvetch all you want, but it is an ongoing process with as much chance of being halted as plate tectonics.

Anyway, according to Jacques-Yves Cousteau in Octopus and Squid: The Soft Intellingence, you are permitted to properly utilize octopus, octopi, octopuses, and octopussies, which I suppose brings us back to the Jamaican slang-term for the animal, "sea cat". Either that or Maude Adams in the thirteenth 007 film (great cheekbones).

Erich
 
Octopodes is the correct plural. Octopi is incorrect...

Here's an accurate article:

Plural
A note on the plural form: Fowler's Modern English Usage states that "the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses", and that octopi is misconceived and octopodes pedantic. Octopi derives from the mistaken notion that octopus is Latin. It is not. It is (Latinized) Greek, from oktopous (ὀκτώπους), gender masculine, whose plural is oktopodes (ὀκτώποδες). If the word were Latin, it would be octopes ('eight-foot') and the plural octopedes, analogous to centipedes and millipedes, as the plural form of pes ('foot') is pedes. In modern, informal Greek, it is called khtapodi (χταπόδι), gender neuter, with plural form khtapodia (χταπόδια).

That said, Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries accept octopi as a plural form. The Oxford English Dictionary lists octopuses, octopi, and octopodes (the order reflecting decreasing frequency of use), stating that the last form is rare. The term octopod (either plural octopods and octopodes can be found) is taken from the taxonomic order octopoda but has no classical equivalent. The collective form octopus is usually reserved for animals consumed for food. Finally worth mentioning is Octopussy, a blend word of octopus and pussycat, which found its way back from the movie title to a term of endearment for the animal that had originally inspired it.
 
Is Octopi the Correct Plural of Octopus?

Most dictionaries list octopi and octopuses as the correct plural of octopus, but some English Usage Dictionaries say that octopi is incorrect. Fowler's Modern English Usage says the following:

A note on the plural form: Fowler's Modern English Usage states that "the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses", and that octopi is misconceived and octopodes pedantic. Octopi derives from the mistaken notion that octopus is Latin. It is not. It is (Latinized) Greek, from oktopous (????????), gender masculine, whose plural is oktopodes (?????????). If the word were Latin, it would be octopes ('eight-foot') and the plural octopedes, analogous to centipedes and millipedes, as the plural form of pes ('foot') is pedes. In modern, informal Greek, it is called khtapodi (???????), gender neuter, with plural form khtapodia (????????).


What do you say?
 
I say that Fowler's is :thumbsup:. I hurt people who say 'octopi'. But I am, of course, a dork, so nobody needs to pay much attention to me.
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top