platypuses

[guyd]

It's not that I am bitter about missing a rosette in the 27 March 2024 "typical" game, oh no, but:

https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/what-is-the-plural-of-platypus

Guido

[Ozzyjack]

It's not that I don't accept Britannica on most things but for an Australian monotreme I prefer to accept Australia's trusted dictionary.

platypus
/ˈplætəpʊs/ (say 'platuhpoos) noun (plural platypuses or platypi /ˈplætəpaɪ/ (say 'platuhpuy) or, especially collectively, platypus)

an amphibious, egg-laying monotreme, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, of eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania, 45–60 cm in total length, having webbed feet and a muzzle like the bill of a duck; the state faunal emblem of NSW; duckbill. image
[New Latin, from Greek platypous broad-footed]

Usage: The ending -pus is a Latinised form of Greek pous foot, the plural of which is podes. The plural platypi is from the reading of -us as a Latin singular ending with a plural -i. The English plural platypuses is more regular in form and widely accepted. The plural form platypus is sometimes used, especially as a collective plural.

Whether they are platypus, platypodes, Platypi, or platypusses they are rare but, for my money, not on Chihuahua 

[auntiemo]

On this subject....
Have you watched Platypus Guardian, (available on ABC iview)? Released in 2023, filmed in Hobart, Tasmania.
I really enjoyed it and found it to be both informative and entertaining.
Moyra

[Alan W]

The issue of platypi is very similar to that of octopi, which was discussed back in 2016. In both cases the -puses plural is more frequently used, while dictionaries identify the -pi plural as non-standard or erroneous, or else don't mention it at all.

I was surprised to see that there are quite a few examples of platypi in the News on the Web corpus, but then discovered that the vast majority of these were from news reports in a regional paper chronicling the fortunes of a football team in western New South Wales (with a capital P of course).

Platypi will be treated as a rare word in future. Platypuses will continue to be recognized as a common word. In 2013 it was the seed word of a daily 10-letter puzzle.

There is one other common word ending in -pus which is sometimes pluralized with a -pi ending: campus. In this case, we have always classed campi as a rare word.

[rallygreg]

I agree that platypuses and octopuses are the common spellings. My education (Australia and New Zealand) had made me believe that platypi and octopi were the most correct spellings until recently.

There was probably a teacher at one stage that promoted the "pus" to "pi" plural and that stuck with me.

One of the things I love about the Chi games is that I'm always learning. Words that I think are common are often rare as they are Australian or UK slang, and then words that I think are rare are in common use in half the countries on the planet. 

Alan's job of sorting the words is not easy, but done very well.

Greg

[Maudland]

The issue of platypi is very similar to that of octopi, which was discussed back in 2016. In both cases the -puses plural is more frequently used, while dictionaries identify the -pi plural as non-standard or erroneous, or else don't mention it at all.

I was surprised to see that there are quite a few examples of platypi in the News on the Web corpus, but then discovered that the vast majority of these were from news reports in a regional paper chronicling the fortunes of a football team in western New South Wales (with a capital P of course).

Platypi will be treated as a rare word in future. Platypuses will continue to be recognized as a common word. In 2013 it was the seed word of a daily 10-letter puzzle.

There is one other common word ending in -pus which is sometimes pluralized with a -pi ending: campus. In this case, we have always classed campi as a rare word.

I would never have thought of CAMPI!! 😮

[Jacki]

Yes it’s unfamiliar to me. Love how much I learn from Chi. Personally I think octopi should be common. It’s such a cute word!

[Calilasseia]

Ah, it's this issue again.

Not every word with the ending -us is of Latin origin, and though most that are of Latin origin are second declension nouns (for which -i would be a correct plural ending), there are exceptions. Such as domus, which is an irregular fourth declension noun.

But words such as octopus and platypus are actually derived from Greek, not Latin, roots, and the declensional rules for Greek nouns are much more complicated than for Latin. Though Greek has technically three, rather than five, noun declensions, Greek second declension nouns are divided into three subsystems, and third declension nouns into no less than eight subsystems. That's before you discover the delights of irregular nouns, and the weird foibles that attach themselves to the use of various neuter nouns (which vary yet again when you move from Attic Greek to Doric, Ionic and Homeric poetic Greek).

From those Greek origins, the correct plurals (pedant hat on!) would be octopodes and platypodes (a consequence of the declension of the Greek word πους, "foot"), and similar rules would apply to other Greek derived nouns according to the root words and their (frequently intricate) declensional details.

You can bet I'm a star at parties with this