noun pl. octopuses, octopi , octopodes
- any of various octopods (order Octopoda) having a soft, saclike body, a reduced coelom, an internal vestigial shell, and eight sucker-bearing arms around the mouth
- anything suggesting an octopus; esp., an organization with branches that reach out in a powerful and influential manner
Origin:
ModL < Gr oktōpous, eight-footed < oktō, eight + pous (gen. podos), foot