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Elephant vs Octopus - What's the difference?

elephant | octopus |

As a noun elephant

is elephant.

As a proper noun octopus is

.

elephant

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A mammal of the order Proboscidea , having a trunk, and two large ivory tusks jutting from the upper jaw.
  • (figuratively) Anything huge and ponderous.
  • (paper, printing) A printing-paper size measuring 30 inches x 22 inches.
  • (British, childish) used when counting to add length, so that each count takes about one second.
  • Let's play hide and seek. I'll count. One elephant''', two '''elephant''', three '''elephant ...
  • (obsolete) ivory
  • (Dryden)

    Synonyms

    * (animal) Elephas maximus'', ''Loxodonta africana * (counting term) see

    Hyponyms

    * (animal) African bush elephant, African forest elephant, Indian elephant, African elephant

    Derived terms

    * African bush elephant * African elephant * African forest elephant * Asian elephant * Asiatic elephant * Borneo elephant, Borneo pygmy elephant * double elephant, double elephant paper * dwarf elephant * elephant apple * elephant bed * elephant beetle * elephant bird, elephantbird * elephant chess * elephant-color, elephant-colour * elephant cord * elephant creeper * elephant ear, elephant ears * elephant fish * elephant flipping * elephant folio * Elephant Gambit * elephant garlic * elephant grass * elephant-gravel * elephant-gray, elephant-grey * elephant gun * * elephant hawk moth * elephanticide * elephantide * elephant in Cairo * elephant in the corner, elephant in the kitchen, elephant in the living room, elephant in the room * (Elephant Island) * elephantitis * elephant joke * elephant juice * elephant leg * (Elephant Man) * elephant man's disease * elephant man's syndrome * elephant on the dinner table * elephant paper * elephant-path * elephant pearl * elephant polo * elephant-rain * elephantry * elephant's breath * elephant seal * elephant's ear, elephant's ears * elephant's foot * elephant's foot umbrella stand * elephant's-grass * elephants' graveyard * elephantship * elephant shrew * elephant's teeth * elephant's trunk, elephant trunk * Elephant's Trunk Nebula * elephant's trunk plant * elephant's trunk snake * elephant's tusk * elephant's-tusks * elephant's-vine * elephant test * elephant trank * elephant tranquilizer, elephant tranquilliser, elephant tranquillizer * Elephant Trap * elephant tree * elephant-trumpet * elephant-trunk fish * Elephant Trunk nebula * elephant-tusk * elephant yam * * forest elephant * get a look at the elephant * imperial elephant * Indian elephant * Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant * Order of the Elephant * pad elephant * pink elephant * pink elephants * pseudelephant * pygmy elephant * retail elephant * rogue elephant * savanna elephant, savannah elephant * sea elephant * see the elephant * show the elephant * Sri Lankan elephant * straight-tusked elephant * Sumatran elephant * temple elephant * war elephant * water elephant * white elephant

    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