octopus

American  

[ok-tuh-puhs] / ˈɒk tə pəs /

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.

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octopus British  

/ ˈɒktəpəs /

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

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Etymology

Origin of octopus

1750–60; < New Latin < Greek oktṓpous (plural oktṓpodes ) eight-footed; octo-, -pod

Example Sentences

Sun, the project's principal investigator, said the concept was inspired by cephalopods such as octopuses, which can rapidly alter the look and texture of their skin.

From Science Daily

“Anyway, these magic shells allowed the fisherman to always return with a canoe full of he‘e, enough octopus for feed his whole village.

From Literature

They could see its face, beaked like an octopus’s.

From Literature

“Not chameleon, but it’s a good guess. We thought maybe octopus? They have incredible mimetic capabilities, but it wasn’t that, either.”

From Literature

The octopus increase does however pose a problem for shellfish species around the UK shores.

From BBC

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