Is it octopi or octopuses?

Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that Latin origins should have Latin endings. Octopuses is the next plural, which gives the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word.

1. What is the actual plural of octopus?
2. Why is the plural of octopus octopi?
3. What is the plural of octopus Oxford dictionary?
4. What do you call a group of octopuses?
5. Do octopi lay eggs?
6. What is Platypus plural?
7. What is the meaning of octopi?
8. Do you say shrimp or shrimps?
9. What is the plural of walrus?
10. What is a male octopus called?
11. What's plural for cactus?
12. What do you call a group of giraffes?
13. Why is it called a shiver of sharks?
14. What is a group of crocodiles called?

What is the actual plural of octopus?

octopi debate. Grammatically speaking, the plural for octopus is octopuses. ... As the Merriam-Webster dictionary points out, people use three different terms, however: octopi, octopuses, and octopodes. While “octopi” has become popular in modern usage, it's wrong.

Why is the plural of octopus octopi?

When “octopus” was first mentioned in the English language in the mid-1700s, it was pluralized as “octopuses.” That said, some grammarians wanted English to be like the less irregular Latin language, so they started putting Latin pluralizations on Latin-based English words, which led to “octopi.”

What is the plural of octopus Oxford dictionary?

Octopuses. “The online Oxford dictionary states that the standard plural is octopuses, that octopodes is still occasionally used, and that octopi is incorrect.” The standard English plural of octopus is octopuses. However, the word octopus comes from Greek, and the Greek plural form is octopodes.

What do you call a group of octopuses?

But there is no technically correct term for a group of octopuses. That's because all of those animals hang out in groups, whereas the octopus is a solitary animal. ... A shoal is sometimes suggested because that's the term for a group of squid (cephalopods & close relatives of the octopus).

Do octopi lay eggs?

Female octopuses lay their eggs and painstakingly weave them together into strands. ... The giant Pacific octopus can lay tens of thousands of eggs in her one and only brood. It only takes two or so octopuses out of each clutch to survive and reproduce to keep an octopus population steady.

What is Platypus plural?

However, given that “platypodes” has for some unfathomable reason never become popular, the dictionary goes on to say that the accepted plural is “platypuses” or (particularly in scientific and conservation contexts) “platypus”.

What is the meaning of octopi?

(ŏk′tə-pī′) A plural of octopus.

Do you say shrimp or shrimps?

'Shrimp' has two plurals. You can either say or write 'shrimp' or 'shrimps. ' However, 'shrimps' is usually used in reference to different species or...

What is the plural of walrus?

noun. wal·​rus | \ ˈwȯl-rəs , ˈwäl- \ plural walrus or walruses.

What is a male octopus called?

A hectocotylus (plural: hectocotyli) is one of the arms of male cephalopods that is specialized to store and transfer spermatophores to the female.

What's plural for cactus?

plural cacti\ ˈkak-​ˌtī , -​(ˌ)tē \ or cactuses also cactus.

What do you call a group of giraffes?

A group of giraffes is called a tower. These amazing animals can be found in the African plains, and they use their long necks to reach leaves on the tops of trees. It's their long necks which helped give them their group name, as they are so tall they tower over bushes and other animals!

Why is it called a shiver of sharks?

A Shiver of Sharks

One of our favourite collective nouns on the list is the name for a group of sharks – a 'shiver'. We think it could be suggestive of what happens to a person who stumbles across a group of sharks while out swimming. Or it could relate to the fact that most sharks are cold-blooded.

What is a group of crocodiles called?

A group of crocodiles in water is called a float, and a group on land is called a bask.