# octopus

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɒktəpʊs/ · frequency rank #15,872

## Definitions
1. Any of several marine molluscs of the order Octopoda, having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid and cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers.
2. A mollusc from genus Octopus.
3. The flesh of these marine molluscs eaten as food.
4. An organization that has many powerful branches controlled from the centre.
5. An instance of a player scoring a touchdown immediately followed by a successful two-point conversion, resulting in a total score of eight points.
6. A safety device allowing divers to share an air supply in an emergency.

## Etymology
From Latin octōpūs, from Ancient Greek ὀκτώπους (oktṓpous), from ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”) + πούς (poús, “foot”). Piecewise doublet of octopod and octopede.

## Common misspellings (10)
`cotopus`, `occtopus`, `ocotpus`, `octoppus`, `octopsu`, `octopuss`, `octoups`, `octpous`, `octtopus`, `otcopus`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/octopus