Thursday, February 24, 2005
word for the day:
from the all your basis belong to us department:
octopuses.
By the way, "octopi" as a plural of "octopus" appears to have originated from a misunderstanding of the word's etymology (see the Oxford English Dictionary folks' comment on this), except to the extent that it has simply been a bit of a joke. It's quite acceptable English now, but I bristle at it, and prefer "octopuses," if only to annoy the octopi fans. Volokh.
Or the generic 'tentacle monsters."
ok he's right, octo, 8, pus, footed, so it's not an -us 2nd declention masculine ending that would be pluralized with -i.
backformation, that's one of the words i couldn't remember for a comment i didn't leave at agoraphilia's discussion of 'misunderestimate.'
from the all your basis belong to us department:
octopuses.
By the way, "octopi" as a plural of "octopus" appears to have originated from a misunderstanding of the word's etymology (see the Oxford English Dictionary folks' comment on this), except to the extent that it has simply been a bit of a joke. It's quite acceptable English now, but I bristle at it, and prefer "octopuses," if only to annoy the octopi fans. Volokh.
Or the generic 'tentacle monsters."
ok he's right, octo, 8, pus, footed, so it's not an -us 2nd declention masculine ending that would be pluralized with -i.
backformation, that's one of the words i couldn't remember for a comment i didn't leave at agoraphilia's discussion of 'misunderestimate.'
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