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Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 > Topic Options #5614 - 08/24/00 04:25 AM Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel Registered: 08/12/00 Posts: 3409 Top #5615 - 08/24/00 05:43 AM Re: Virii - why not? RhubarbCommando Pooh-Bah Registered: 08/23/00 Posts: 2204 Virii ?? why two "i"s ? (apart from hackneyed jokes about being able to see better) Surely the plural of "virus" should be "viri": it could only be virii if the singular were virius (c.f. radius/radii) It is the sort of question that bugs you, is it not? Top #5616 - 08/24/00 06:08 AM Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel Registered: 08/12/00 Posts: 3409 Top #5617 - 08/24/00 07:22 AM Re: Virii - why not? RhubarbCommando Pooh-Bah Registered: 08/23/00 Posts: 2204 This is what is vulgarly referred to as "a cop out." "Beauty is truth," you say; "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," is an aphorism also well accredited. Put them together and you can deduce that truth is in the eye of the beholder. Which gives "viruses" an equal claim, I aver. Top #5618 - 08/24/00 08:06 AM Re: Virii - why not? TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel Registered: 07/17/00 Posts: 3467 Loc: Marion NC The plural is viri in Latin but viruses in English. I have seen it as viri in medical journals, but not anywhere else that I recall. I suspect the reason for this apparent discrepancy is that viruses trips off the tongue better than do radiuses and hippopotamuses. The accented syllable (vir) is too close to the -i to be sonorous (at least in English). Along those lines, most dictionaries show octopuses or octopi as the plural of octopus. In my view the latter is incorrect since octopus is not from Latin, but from Greek okto (eight) plus pous (foot). _________________________ TEd Top #5619 - 08/24/00 11:06 AM Re: Virii - why not? tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10538 Loc: this too shall pass >Along those lines, most dictionaries show octopuses or octopi as the plural of octopus. In my view the latter is incorrect since octopus is not from Latin, but from Greek okto (eight) plus pous (foot). well, maybe we should compromise with octopodes then... Top #5620 - 08/24/00 02:47 PM Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel Registered: 08/12/00 Posts: 3409 Top #5621 - 08/24/00 06:33 PM Re: Virii - why not? lusy member Registered: 03/16/00 Posts: 140 Loc: Melbourne, Australia well, maybe we should compromise with octopodes then... Thanks yet again, tsuwm, for setting us all straight. My beloved Chambers even agrees with you!! It gives "octpuses" as archaic, "octopi" as wrong, and "octopodes" as correct. And I have seen this form used often, can't remember specifically where or when. Rgds, lusy Top #5622 - 08/24/00 06:48 PM Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel Registered: 08/12/00 Posts: 3409 Top #5623 - 08/25/00 04:11 AM Re: Virii - why not? Bridget addict Registered: 06/27/00 Posts: 444 Loc: Sydney Australia >, maybe we should compromise with octopodes then< Can I infer from this that now I have moved to Australia I am living in an Antipus? Shame, I always rather liked cats..... Top Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 > Previous Topic Index Next Topic Preview Hop to: General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. (have been consolidated into a single forum above) ------   Words from medicine   Beheading words   Meta-words   Words from classical mythology   Animal Safari   Words with unusual etymologies   Eponyms or words derived from people's names.   Loanwords from German   English as a global language Moderator:  Jackie  Print Topic Switch to Threaded Mode View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts Forum Stats 8946 Members 16 Forums 13866 Topics 222180 Posts Max Online: 3341 @ 12/09/11 02:15 PM Newest Members Daksh1, geoffhargreaves, Guadalupe, may2point0, Lonnie 8946 Registered Users Who's Online 0 registered (), 36 Guests and 4 Spiders online. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters (30 Days) wofahulicodoc 61 LukeJavan8 50 may2point0 14 May 3 Tromboniator 3 geoffhargreaves 1 Top Posters wwh 13858 Faldage 13803 Jackie 11613 tsuwm 10538 LukeJavan8 8426 Buffalo Shrdlu 7210 wofahulicodoc 6784 AnnaStrophic 6511 Wordwind 6296 of troy 5400

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