Name Game: Podi Puss Plural

[Abedeus]

Umm... actually...
Octopi and Octopuses are both valid.

It just depends on which you prefer
or maybe the context (not sure what context would rule out one or the other).

Trust me, I'm an English major... and an aspiring novelist/poet/videogame writer.

This.

Both forms are valid.

Off the top of my head, the only word that sounds weird with "-i" is "platypi", since I'm not sure of the origin of the word.

But "uses" and "i" is correct in this case. Sorry you are misinformed and adamant about your ignorance :/

 

[CosmicCommander]

Why don't you just shoot the protesters? It'd be far more fun and satisfying to see them get massacred.

 

[Zaverexus]

Octopus is a word of Latin origin. Not Greek. Therefore the correct plural form is OCTOPUSES. Not Octopi.

Octopus comes from the Greek word, but yes it is Latin, you are right about that. Actually that is the precise reason why it is "octopi" in plural. That's how Latin works. Second declension plural nominative, to be precise, ending is "-i".
Even if it were Greek the plural form would be "octopodes"; under no circumstances besides English corruption of the form would it be "octopuses".

 

[Zaverexus]

Umm... actually...
Octopi and Octopuses are both valid.

It just depends on which you prefer
or maybe the context (not sure what context would rule out one or the other).

Trust me, I'm an English major... and an aspiring novelist/poet/videogame writer.

This.

Both forms are valid.

Off the top of my head, the only word that sounds weird with "-i" is "platypi", since I'm not sure of the origin of the word.

But "uses" and "i" is correct in this case. Sorry you are misinformed and adamant about your ignorance :/

Platypus is of Greek origin. In Greek the plural would be "platypodes", but the ending also works with Latin declension, which would pluralize it as "platypi"

 

[BehattedWanderer]

You tell 'em, Leels. Take them down! Change the world!

 

[Xman490]

If it was legal, I would "drink for 4 days straight" too. It turns out that the test that I thought I did very well in slammed me with a C, so I can kiss my hopes for honor roll goodbye at this rate.
My college had a Friday off last week, not this one.

 

[phlip]

"Octopi" is my exception to descriptivism... Yes, normally, whatever words people normally use, and whatever words people will understand easiest without risk of confusion are by definition the "correct" words. Except "octopi", it doesn't count.

But more seriously:
"Octopodes" is the etymologically-correct plural, as that's how it was pluralised in both Greek and Latin ("ὀκτώποδες" and "octopodēs", respectively), but it's hard to call it "correct" in English if people don't know what you're talking about when you say it. Best saved for responding to people who try to smugly correct people by claiming that "octopi" is etymologically-correct. Also, be sure you pronounce it correctly - before watching that Merriam-Webster clip that I see has already been linked to aways up the thread, I had been pronouncing it wrong for years.
"Octopi" is a hypercorrection, but strictly-speaking acceptable from a descriptivist standpoint, in that people will know what you mean when you say it, but if you try to claim it's more correct than "octopuses", or that it was "octopi" in Latin, then you're entirely wrong.
"Octopuses" is entirely fine, as it's the standard English way of pluralising words.

 

[Catalyst6]

Stupid people. No one can get their spelling right.

It's *obviously* "Octopussen". God.

 

[razer17]

Language changes constantly. The greek origins might mean it should be octopuses, but we aren't speaking Greek, we are speaking English, which is a mix mash of all sorts of earlier languages anyway.

So words change their means, or the spelling is changed, and as such octopi is completely fine.

 

[Leels]

I mixed up my origins. I meant to say Greek not Latin. My bad.

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

Can we give Podi a rest please? I really like this comic a lot and the gag is losing it's charm. Sorry.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

So where does this leave:

Cactus
Colossus
...and
Genius

I'm not a native english speaker so i'm actually looking for a serious answer to this one.

 

[Skeleon]

Hem. Octopus; the appropriate Latin plural nominative clause is octopi. Look up the o-declension's clauses. Here's a link to a German Wiki, but the table should be self-explanatory enough.

http://www.lateinwiki.org/o-Deklination

So unless octopus is actually somehow part of the u-declension like the word virus (in which case the plural would simply also be octopus), octopi is perfectly correct.

http://www.lateinwiki.org/u-Deklination

The Greek origin of the word doesn't really matter when octopus is considered the Latinized version, so Latin declension rules would apply. It's like the screwy medical Latin we use where lots of words of Greek origin are included.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

It's a similar thing with the humble cactus. Its plural is actually cactus plants.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

So where does this leave:

Cactus
Colossus
...and
Genius

I'm not a native english speaker so i'm actually looking for a serious answer to this one.

Genius is definitely geniuses, but I'm not sure about colossus.

 

[Lukeje]

Octopus is a word of Latin origin. Not Greek. Therefore the correct plural form is OCTOPUSES. Not Octopi.

Octopus comes from the Greek word, but yes it is Latin, you are right about that. Actually that is the precise reason why it is "octopi" in plural. That's how Latin works. Second declension plural nominative, to be precise, ending is "-i".
Even if it were Greek the plural form would be "octopodes"; under no circumstances besides English corruption of the form would it be "octopuses".

If it were Latin it would be third declension (octopes) and thus octopedes in plural.

 

[Boba Frag]

Hmmmm. Found that a little self indulgent, but it's a fair point.

It's also not a very commonly used word so I think a little lattitude wouldn't go astray.
Not everyone can know as much about the plural forms as you do, and that's reasonable.

Surprisingly, Wikipedia actually backs up your case.

 

[AbstractStream]

Drink for four days straight? Ooh, I wanna join in on that fun.

 

[runnernda]

I'm forced to wonder if this is canon or not.

 

[Melon Hunter]

Language evolves over time. Words and grammar that are 'correct' today were most likely considered incorrect many years ago, but the language has since changed to accommodate this. In the same regard, while 'octopuses' is etymologically correct, the -i plural for words ending in -us is more elegant and rolls off the tongue a whole lot easier than the mouthful that is octopuses. Therefore, although 'octopuses' is the correct form, I support the -i ending for -us plurals being standardised.