Etymology Explorer › Translingual

Where does “Octopus” come from?

Octopus (Translingual) comes from Latin octopūs, from Ancient Greek ὀκτώπους, from Ancient Greek πούς, from Proto-Indo-European pṓds, from Proto-Indo-European póds, from Proto-Indo-European ped- — to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall.

Ancestry of “Octopus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinoctopūs—
2Ancient Greekὀκτώπουςeight-footed; octopus
3Ancient Greekπούςfoot; leg; Greek foot or pous, the ancient Greek...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpṓdsfoot
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpóds—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanped-to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall

Words derived from “Octopus”

  • Octopodidae
  • Octopodiformes
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ped- →