octopus

Where does the word "octopus" come from? It comes from Greek oktopous, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).

Octopus’s story begins in Greek: oktopous meant “eight-footed.” Literally eight-foot, from okto (eight) and pous (foot). It reached English by 1700s as octopus. Greek 'eight feet'; the plural 'octopodes' follows Greek, not the common 'octopi'. Today, octopus means a soft-bodied sea creature with eight arms.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient oktopous "eight-footed", literally eight-foot, from okto (eight) and pous (foot).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s octopus "an eight-armed sea creature", Greek 'eight feet'; the plural 'octopodes' follows Greek, not the common 'octopi'.