what is difference between 'octopod' and 'octopi'? [plural for octopus] i learned 'octopi' to be correct.

Question

in another question someone posted they asked what the plural form of octopus was, and another answered that 'octopi' was wrong and that it is 'octopods' so now i am asking what the difference is between them. i have always been tought that 'octopi' was the correct plural form. HELP ME!! i'm so confused.!

Answer 1

The Anglicized plural is 'octopuses' and is probably the best to use to avoid confusion.

'Octopi' is NOT the plural of 'octopus' . That mistaken idea originated when some people assumed that the '-us' ending meant it was a Latin word and many Latin words ending in '-us' do form their plurals by dropping '-us' and adding '-i'.

But the word is really Greek in origin, and it kept its Greek plural, which is 'Octopodes'

Now, to confuse the issue further, there is an English word 'octopod' derived from the same root word, and that means any member of the biological Order of Octopoda. The plural of that word is 'octopods'.

The Order Octopoda does include octopuses, and it also includes another suborder called argonauts. These have the eight legs, but otherwise are quite different.

So, all octopuses are octopods, but not all octopods are octopuses.

So:

You should NEVER use 'octopi'. That's a nonword.
You MIGHT use 'octopodes' when talking about octopuses, but it's not common and sounds stilted.
You SHOULD use 'octopuses'. That's correct English and everyone will understand.
You MAY use 'octopods', especially in a technical setting, but remember that includes more than just octopuses.

Answer 2

Octopi is the plural of octopus. The word is derived from Latin. Most words from Latin that end in '-us' have a plural form ending in '-i'.

Octopod would refer to something that has eight (octo -8- Latin) appendages. So yes, 'octopods' would be the plural of octopod.

If you want to have some fun with words try these singular and plural forms:

Singular Plural
opus opera
datum data
medium media

Answer 3

Plural Of Octopuses

Answer 4

Octopi is the correct form for more than one octopus. (plural)
they were probably playing with you.
octopod - eight-armed cephalopod lacking an internal shell
That is the singular form.

Answer 5

Ah! It all depends how ,many octopeas are in the octopod! Eight?