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Octopus vs Jellyfish - What's the difference?

octopus | jellyfish |

As a proper noun octopus

is .

As a noun jellyfish is

(zoology) an almost transparent aquatic being; any one of the acalephs, especially one of the larger species, having a jellylike appearance.

octopus

Noun

(see usage notes)
  • Any of several marine molluscs/mollusks, of the family '', having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid or cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers.
  • (uncountable) The flesh of these marine molluscs eaten as food.
  • An organization that has many powerful branches controlled from the centre.
  • Usage notes

    The plural octopi is hypercorrect, coming from the mistaken notion that the (term) in . The plural octopii is based on an incorrect attempt to pluralise the word based on an incorrect assumption of its origin, and is rare and widely considered to be nonstandard. Sources differ on which plurals are acceptable: (w, Fowler's Modern English Usage)'' asserts that “the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses”, while (Merriam-Webster) and other dictionaries accept (term) as a plural form. The ''(Oxford English Dictionary) lists (term), (term), and (term) (the order reflecting decreasing frequency of use), stating that the last form is rare. The term octopod (either plural octopods and octopodes can be found) is taken from the taxonomic order Octopoda but has no classical equivalent, and is not necessarily synonymous (it can encompass any member of that order). The collective form (term) is usually reserved for animals consumed for food.

    Derived terms

    * octopean * octopian * octopic * octopine * octopuslike * octopussy

    Synonyms

    * polypus

    See also

    * calamari * cuttlefish * Kraken * nautilus * octopoid * squid

    jellyfish

    English

    Noun

  • (zoology) An almost transparent aquatic being; any one of the acalephs, especially one of the larger species, having a jellylike appearance.
  • # A cnidarian, a member of the phylum Cnidaria.
  • ## A scyphozoan, a member of the class Scyphozoa (the true jellies).
  • # A ctenophore, a member of the phylum Ctenophora (the comb jellies).
  • Usage notes

    Some writers prefer the term jelly, which does not imply that it is a type of fish.

    See also

    * medusa