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 nautilus
2 : something that resembles an octopus especially in having many centrally directed branches

[octopus illustration]