51Թ

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View synonyms for

octopus

[ ok-tuh-puhs ]

noun

plural octopuses, octopi
  1. any octopod of the genus Octopus, having a soft, oval body and eight sucker-bearing arms, living mostly at the bottom of the sea.
  2. something likened to an octopus, as an organization with many forms of far-reaching influence or control.


octopus

/ ˈɒəə /

noun

  1. any cephalopod mollusc of the genera Octopus, Eledone, etc, having a soft oval body with eight long suckered tentacles and occurring at the sea bottom: order Octopoda (octopods)
  2. a powerful influential organization with far-reaching effects, esp harmful ones
  3. another name for spider
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of octopus1

1750–60; < New Latin < Greek ǰdzܲ (plural ǰǻ ) eight-footed; octo-, -pod
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of octopus1

C18: via New Latin from Greek ǰōdzܲ having eight feet
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I admired but disregarded the octopus — too much of an ordeal.

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“It’s fun,” she said of the custom hearts, cherries, pink octopuses and evil eyes she quilts and appliques on to sweatshirts.

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Inside the convention hall, an octopus and a parrot casually drink a glass of wine together.

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Playful creatures from octopus and squid to whales, bunnies and even hamsters create a graphic and exciting vibe just in time for the holidays.

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The duo used a custommade respirometer to measure how much oxygen the pulsating cells used in the process, a proxy for how much energy it takes an octopus to trigger color changes.

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