Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of numerous carnivorous marine mollusks of the genus Octopus or related genera, found worldwide. The octopus has a rounded soft body, eight tentacles with each bearing two rows of suckers, a large distinct head, and a strong beaklike mouth. Also called devilfish.
- n. Something, such as a multinational corporation, that has many powerful, centrally controlled branches.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The typical genus of Octopodidæ and Octopoda.
- n. [lowercase; pl. octopi (-pī).] A species or an individual of the genus Octopus; an octopod; a poulpe; a devilfish. See also cut under cuttlefish.
- n. Hence Figuratively, any centralized organization which has many branches and secret connections, and thereby maintains an oppressive hold upon the public.
Wiktionary
- n. Any of several marine molluscs/mollusks, of the family Octopodidae, having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid or cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers.
- n. The flesh of these marine molluscs eaten as food.
- n. An organization that has many powerful branches controlled from the centre.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A genus of eight-armed cephalopods, including numerous species, some of them of large size. See devilfish.
- n. Any member of the genus Octopus.
- n. Something resembling an octopus in having numerous controlling arms or branches that reach widely and influence many activities; -- used mostly of organizations, such as diversified corporations.
WordNet 3.0
- n. tentacles of octopus prepared as food
- n. bottom-living cephalopod having a soft oval body with eight long tentacles
Etymologies
- New Latin Octōpūs, genus name, from Greek oktōpous, eight-footed : oktō, eight; see oktō(u) in Indo-European roots + pous, foot; see ped- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“[47] The cuttlefish, or octopus (_Sepia octopus_).”
“But the lifespan of the common octopus is only 3 years”
The Washington Post: Goodbye Pulpo Paul: a tribute to our favorite psychic octopus
“But the lifespan of the common octopus is only 3 years and tickets to Germany are out of my price range at the present time”
The Washington Post: Goodbye Pulpo Paul: a tribute to our favorite psychic octopus
“Oh, and Sonya gifted me with an enormous plush octopus from the MCZ gift shop, which I have christened Nemo.”
“I used to have this cute little stuffed octopus from the Monterey Aquarium that frightened the bejeezus out of 3/4 of the cats that met it, and was extremely, extremely alluring to the fourth cat.”
“By this time it was clear that I was not about to set the world of biology aflame -- not many people were interested in octopus behavior -- and so after the university grudgingly gave me”
“Oooh, look, the octopus is going into the house!”
“In this video from National Geographic, witness how a 600-pound octopus is able to squeeze through a tube the size of a quarter.”
The Huffington Post: Octopus Weighing 600 Pounds Squeezes Through Quarter-Sized Tube (VIDEO)
“That octopus is now confined to a tiny corner of his aquarium where he's passing the hours bouncing a baseball against the wall.”
“Looks like they saved money by borrowing the octopus from the Nautilus ride at Disneyland.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘octopus’.
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food collection
bread, peel, pot, chorizo, Filet, olive, fill, Phyllo, dough, bake, mat, pinot and 988 more...
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You animal!
Names of animals that are also used to describe kinds of people. Nouns only, preferably single word.
For a related list, see sionnach's beastly verbs.rabbit, shark, hog, pussycat, bear, bull, skunk, hawk, wildcat, buck, slug, heifer and 112 more...
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"That is NOT a Christmas word!" Part Deux: 2008
Open list! Have at! (Inspired—or was that inspissated?—by my other list from 2007, seen here.) Except for the honorary first addition (thanks sionnach), please try to add only words you hear in...
casu marzu, uranist, rape, shin-kicking, broken darlings, forcible egg-nog ..., pubic, smell it, cavity, diarrhea, octopus, touch your mustard and 40 more...
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identifiers
species, sex, age bracket, occupation, hobby .. etc.
man, woman, human being, student, zombie, artist, octopus, race driver, scientist, algorithmist, mathematician, child and 59 more...
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Problematic Plurals
mongoose, octopus, mouse, quorum, compactus, gateaux, people, moose, ottoman
travismcdermott 1759 Philos. Trans. 1758 (Royal Soc.) 50 778 The Polypus, particularly so called, the Octopus, Preke, or Pour-contrel. Jul 23, 2008
shbhrsaha wow
May 24, 2008
asativum Thanks! Always wondered about that. (See mongoose.)
Not sure I'd get too jocular with octopuses, or octopi for that matter, given then Mr. Potatohead story; they don't seem to have much of a sense of humor. Jan 27, 2008
mollusque The preferred plural in English is "octopuses". "Octopus" comes from Greek, not Latin, so if a classical plural is used it should be "octopodes". "Octopi" is a well-established back-formation, often used in jocular contexts. Jan 27, 2008
asativum Oughtn't it be octopi? Jan 27, 2008
mollusque Octopuses have personalities. Jan 27, 2008
treeseed I read about a little octopus who was given a small toy figure of Mr. Potato Head and the little octopus became so attached to this toy that he would become aggressive if his keepers tried to remove it from him. He became adept at opening and closing a small compartment in the back of the toy. Somehow this story makes me love octopuses and appreciate them in a whole new way. I think it is a sad tale. Jan 27, 2008
mollusque Getting all of one’s addictions under control is a little like putting an octopus to bed.
--Anne Lamott, 1994, Bird by Bird, p. 93 Nov 16, 2007
reesetee Love the quote and the book! Nov 9, 2007
mollusque Have you ever heard a blind-folded octopus unwrap a cellophane-covered bathtub?
--Norton Juster, 1961, The Phantom Tollbooth Nov 9, 2007
reesetee THE OCTOPUS
Tell me, O Octopus, I begs
Is those things arms, or is they legs?
I marvel at thee, Octopus;
If I were thou, I'd call me Us.
Ogden Nash Apr 18, 2007