Main Entry:

oc·to·pus

Pronunciation:

\ˈäk-tə-pəs, -ˌpu̇s\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural oc·to·pus·es or oc·to·pi \-ˌpī\

Etymology:

New Latin Octopod-, Octopus, from Greek oktōpous

Date:

1758

1: any of a genus (Octopus) of cephalopod mollusks that have eight muscular arms equipped with two rows of suckers ; broadly : any octopod excepting the paper nautilus2: something that resembles an octopus especially in having many centrally directed branches

[octopus illustration]