this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2024
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I understand when people speak about the ethical problems with eating meat, but I think they do not apply to fish.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Just to be the super-nerd, octopus is not a regular latin word.
I think it is actually a greek loan word in latin.

So the plural is either octopodes to follow the original greek or octopuses in regular english.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago (2 children)

The correct plural is whatever word you say that people understand as meaning more than one octopus. That's how language works.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

If enough people make a language mistake, it becomes a rule.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

I mean I get your point and for all intents and purposes I don't even necessarily disagree.

I just wanted to add this little factoid, since I think using "octopi" instead of the at least equally as correct "octopuses" shows that one tries to follow the etymology of the word.
And if you try to do that, the etymologically correct plural is "octopodes".

Then again I hesitated even answering you, since I am by no means one of those weirdos that has a problem with language changing.

For all I care we can talk about octopussies and octopiarians or whatever, but as someone that had to learn latin as a child, the use of octopi just kind of itches my brain.

But it is all good, I get what you are saying and my first post was never meant as a negative critique of OP and more as a fun fact.