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

Almost a half-mile below the surface of Monterey Bay, Calif., scientists recently recorded rare footage of a seven-arm octopus — only the fourth time the same research team has spotted the species in about four decades.

From Los Angeles Times

Swedish man teaches pet octopus to play piano.

From MarketWatch

The ingested loot is set with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires, according to the jeweller's website, and opens to reveal an 18-carat gold miniature octopus.

From BBC

"These were something we clearly hadn't seen before, with a large diameter and big suckers - far too big for the common curled octopus we see around the shore here."

From BBC

The allegedly stolen Fabergé egg is set with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires, according to the jeweller's website, and opens to reveal an 18K gold miniature octopus.

From BBC

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