People who get mad about this are the same people who are still upset that dictionaries now include figuratively as a description of literally. It doesn’t matter if it’s technically correct by Greek or Latin standards, because it’s now part of the English lexicon.
Still, that can all be put aside since “octopi” has been common use since long before the other terms existed.īasically, “octopi” has earned tenure for time served. This is because this suffix uses a Latin pluralization on a Greek word. It’s pretty common now for people to discount the term octopi. Photo by Filippo Borghi Why Octopi is Correct Whichever pluralization you use is fine, because they’re also correct. Basically, it’s what we’re used to.īut just because it’s the standard accepted term doesn’t mean it’s the only right option. It’s what we see in studies, what we were taught by our professors, and the term our peers use. In most communities, “octopuses” is the most accepted scientific terminology for more than one octopus.Īt Ocean Syrup, we say octopuses. If you look in most scientific studies, textbooks, or literature, you’ll most likely see the term octopuses. Here’s a quick look at why each of these pluralizations is acceptable: “Did you just assume my pluralization?” Why Octopuses is Right So hey, now you can feel just as smug as the person correcting you. Whether you say octopi, octopodes, or octopuses you’re basically right. Here’s some good news, people who correct your pluralization of octopus are more wrong in correcting you than you are in whatever you said. So which is it? What’s The Right Plural for Octopus? But you can at least get the self-satisfaction of being technically correct.
The simple truth is, there’s pretty much no way you can make the internet nerds happy on this one. Pluralizing octopus feels like a zero-sum game.
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