noun

octopus

OK-tuh-puus

noun

A soft-bodied sea creature with eight arms lined with suckers and no internal shell.

"The octopus squeezed through a gap barely wider than its beak."

"Divers watched the octopus change color to match the reef."

The flesh of this creature eaten as food.

"The tapas menu included grilled octopus with paprika."

How to Use Octopus

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA sea animal with eight arms, famous for its intelligence and ability to camouflage.

Common mistake

The traditional English plural is "octopuses"; "octopi" is a common but etymologically mistaken Latin-style plural, since the word is Greek, not Latin.

Common pairings

a giant octopus grilled octopus an octopus's tentacles

Word Forms

octopussed past tense, octopused past tense, octopuses plural, octopusses plural, octopi plural, octopii plural, octopodes plural, octopus plural, octopusses singular, octopuses singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The _____ squeezed through a gap barely wider than its beak.

Etymology

From Greek oktopous, literally "eight-foot", from okto ("eight") + pous ("foot").

Synonyms

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polypus

Rhymes for octopus

opus

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