ośmiornica
/ɔɕ.mjɔrˈɲi.t͡sa/feminine
The English word octopus is ośmiornica in Polish.
The word refers to the mollusc known as an octopus.
Meaning: mollusc (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of ośmioro- (eight) and the suffix -nica, literally meaning an eight-armed thing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is ośmiornice. In the singular, you may use the genitive form ośmiornicy after prepositions such as od (from) or bez (without).
How do you pronounce it?
/ɔɕ.mjɔrˈɲi.tsa/. The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- In Polish, the word ośmiornica can be used as a metaphor for the Mafia or a corrupt organization with many reaching tentacles.
- The word ośmiornica uses the numeral ośmioro, which is a collective number used specifically for groups of mixed gender or certain nouns.
- Because the suffix -nica is used, the word carries a feminine grammatical gender, meaning you must use feminine adjectives like 'duża' (large) instead of masculine ones when describing it.
Examples in context
- Ośmiornica Paul miała rację.Octopus Paul was right.The first sentence shows how to use ośmiornica as a subject.Tatoeba #1606039 by zipangu, translation #446074 by MUIRIEL
- Czy jednym z twoich ulubionych jest ośmiornica?Is the octopus one of your favourites?The second sentence shows how to use ośmiornica when asking about favorites.Tatoeba #5959933 by stagos, translation #6029167 by Huskion
- Przyjechałem do morza, żeby zobaczyć ośmiornicę.I came to the sea to see an octopus.
- Zakochałem się w żółtych ramionach ośmiornicy.I fell in love with the yellow arms of an octopus.
- Kiedyś widziałem ośmiornicę na dnie morza.Once, I saw an octopus at the bottom of the sea.
- Ta ośmiornica jest bardzo duża.This octopus is very big.
Example conversation
Krzysztof and Małgorzata are at an aquarium.
- KrzysztofSpójrz, ta ośmiornica jest ogromna!Look, this octopus is huge!
- MałgorzataTak, wygląda na bardzo mądrą.Yes, it looks very smart.
- KrzysztofCzy wiesz, ile ramion ma ośmiornica?Do you know how many arms an octopus has?
- MałgorzataOczywiście, że ma ich osiem.Of course, it has eight.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “octopus” translations and entries ośmiornica, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ośmiornica, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
