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submitted 3 weeks ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

As a native greek speaker, I find anything other than "octopuses" to be silly. In greek we don't say (any more) octopodes, we say "chtapodia" (the "ch" is the canonical (ELOT) transliteration of the letter χ).

[-] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago

Could you just clarify one thing? I was told that the plural wouldn't be octopodes, but octopoda, similarly to what you used for modern Greek.

[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 weeks ago

In modern Greek, singular: χταπόδι, plural: χταπόδια.

Transliterated using standard ELOT (that maps χ to ch) singular: chtapodi, plural: chtapodia.

The word is composite and contracted. First part originally is οχτώ (8) (transliteration: ochto) but has been uncommonly shortened to χτα (chta). Second part is the word for foot (singular: πόδι/podi, plural: πόδια/podia).

So without the uncommon shortening in more archaic Greek it would be: οχταπόδι (ochtapodi) and οχταπόδια (ochtapodia).

If ELOT is ignored and οχτώ is transliterated as octo, then you can get to octapodi, octapodia.