Why is cactus plural cacti?

The noun cactus has a Latin root, which is the derivation of the plural cacti. Through common usage, cactuses (which adheres to the standard rules for forming plurals) is also acceptable.

Why is the plural of octopus octopuses?

The three main plurals for octopus come from the different ways the English language adopts plurals. Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that Latin origins should have Latin endings. Octopuses is the next plural, which gives the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word.

What is the plural version of cactus?

Cactus plural: Cacti is a noun. It is the plural form of cactus, which refers to members of a family of spiny plants. Cacti are famous for having sharp spines.

What is 1 cactus called?

Cactus is the singular form of the word. Cacti is the Latin plural form of the word. One cactus. Two cacti. However, in American English it is common to hear the plural “cactuses”.

Why is octopi wrong?

While “octopi” has become popular in modern usage, it’s wrong. The letter “i” as a suffix to indicate a plural noun only applies to words with Latin roots, like “cacti” for more than one cactus. But octopus is derived from Greek, so the proper pluralization in this case would be “odes” if it was ever used.

What is the difference between octopus and octopi?

An octopus is a cephalopod mollusk of the order Octopoda. The word octopi refers to more than one of those animals. Despite its relatively common usage, octopi is an improper plural. Latin words are sometimes pluralized with an -i, but octopus originates from Greek, not Latin.

What is the Latin plural of virus?

As a Latin word, ‘virus’ does not have an attested plural. It has a second declension genitive singular but it is quite rare. The word isn’t common in general. As a result, the appropriate English plural really should be ‘viruses’.