Definition of: octopus

(ok′tə·pəs) noun plural ·pus·es or ·pī (-pī) or oc·top·o·des (ok·top′ə·dēz)
1. Any of the marine cephalopod mollusks of the genus Octopus, having no shell, a soft, domed head with large eyes and the mouth on the underside surrounded by eight long, partially webbed tentacles bearing two rows of suckers. Also called devilfish.
2. Figuratively, any organized power regarded as of far-reaching capacity for harm; specifically, a powerful business organization; a trust. [<NL <Gk. oktapous eight-footed <okta- eight + pous a foot]
OCTOPUS
(Varies according to species, from a 6–inch to a 32–foot span over–all)