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platypus
[ plat-i-puhs, -poos ]
noun
plural platypuses, platypi
- a small, aquatic, egg-laying monotreme, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, of Australia and Tasmania, having webbed feet, a tail like that of a beaver, a sensitive bill resembling that of a duck, and, in adult males, venom-injecting spurs on the ankles of the hind limbs, used primarily for fighting with other males during the breeding season.
platypus
/ ˈæɪə /
noun
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of platypus1
C18: New Latin, from platy- + -pus, from Greek pous foot
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Is The Plural Of Platypus?
Plural word for platypus
The plural form of platypus can be either platypuses or platypi, pronounced [ plat-i-pahy ], but platypuses is more widely used. The plurals of several other singular words ending in -us are formed in the same way as platypuses, such as virus/viruses, sinus/sinuses, and walrus/walruses.
that are formed like platypi, such as cactus/cacti and fungus/fungi, derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. However, the standard English plural -es ending is often also acceptable for these terms, as in cactuses.
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