dumbo octopus

noun

Any of several species of umbrella octopuses of the genus Grimpoteuthis.

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Meanings

noundumbo octopus (plural dumbo octopuses or (nonstandard) dumbo octopusses or (nonstandard) dumbo octopi or (nonstandard) dumbo octopii or (rare) dumbo octopodes or (rare, nonstandard) dumbo octopus)

plural dumbo octopuses · nonstandard plural dumbo octopusses · nonstandard plural dumbo octopi · nonstandard plural dumbo octopii · plural rare dumbo octopodes

  1. Any of several species of umbrella octopuses of the genus Grimpoteuthis.

    This specimen does not possess tentacles but does have clear fins leading to speculation that it may be related to deep sea species such as today’s dumbo octopuses or alternatively, this is a member of the vampire squid group, Vampyromorphida.

    2016 August 17, Mark Carnall, The Guardian

Origin

From their resemblance to the title character of the 1941 Disney film Dumbo.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

dumbo octopus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbo%20octopus

MLA

“dumbo octopus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbo%20octopus. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dumbo octopus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbo%20octopus.

Source: dumbo octopus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.