this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2026
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Science Memes

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If you are here asking: "Is this a science meme?"

Probably, yes. We use the Dawkins definition of meme: a replicating idea, not just an image macro with a fact on it. A good post here doesn't need to teach you something. It needs to make you ask something: who, what, where, when, and especially why or how.

Science isn't a filing cabinet of facts, it's a conversation. For example, a photo of an eel or other localized wildlife counts because most people never see one, and wonder is the first step of inquiry. A car meme counts if it makes you curious about what's under the bonnet. If you want to talk about something you noticed in the world, chances are someone else wants to talk about it too.

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[–] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 81 points 2 months ago (5 children)

One of my favorite things in life is using Latin or Greek plurals on words that it makes absolutely no sense to use them on, and do not follow the rules of any language naturally involved.

I had steak and potati for dinner last night. Just one steak, though, I cannot eat multiple steakices

[–] dropcase@lemmy.world 46 points 2 months ago

Reminds me of a joke:

A Roman soldier walks into a bar and says, "I'll have a martinus"

Bartender says, "don't you mean a martini?"

The Roman says. "if I wanted more than one I would've asked for it!"

[–] lemmyartistforhire@lemmy.world 30 points 2 months ago (4 children)

I also do this! My personal top 3 are:

Jesus - Jesi

Bus - Bi

Penis - Penorum

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Penis - Penorum

WROOOOONG! Now write the full declension table on that wall. And make sure to draw some pictures with it, so you never forget the word! :-p

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

People called Romanes, they go, the house?!

[–] lemmyartistforhire@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It's the genitive! Genitive! Which makes the plural.. um! Penum! Penum! Romanorum penum amplitudines non magni sunt!

c===3, c===3, c===3.

Poetry was made today.

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[–] HamsterRage@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

For decades now, my wife and I have used "Kleeni" as the plural of "Kleenex".

[–] Tortellinius@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Kleenex is Kneenes according to the rules of Latin, actually

[–] veniasilente@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 months ago (3 children)

But the plural of index is indices in Latin, so shouldn't the plural of Kleenex under those rules be Kleenices?

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[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

Looks like you beat us to level 7

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[–] Derpenheim@lemmy.zip 40 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Its whatever your heart is telling you.

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Any mistake I make is actually just my dialect

[–] Derpenheim@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 months ago

Don't bother correcting my English grammar, as I have no respect for this language <3

[–] P1k1e@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

And if folks knew what you meant, it's fine

[–] Zwiebel@feddit.org 5 points 2 months ago

That is what 'descriptive' in level 4 means

[–] carotte@lemmy.blahaj.zone 37 points 2 months ago

2Ο€: two pi

Ο€: one pus

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 34 points 2 months ago (3 children)

American English: "All of the above are valid."

"Even 'octopussies?'"

American English: "...sure."

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago

"even 'octopussies'?"
american english:

[–] nightofmichelinstars@sopuli.xyz 12 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Search engines: Sir, this is a work computer

[–] davidgro@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)
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[–] trolololol@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Aham, there's some precedent

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[–] thenextguy@lemmy.world 33 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] ArcaneGadget@nord.pub 12 points 2 months ago

There were manny of them! Manny much octopoden!

[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 23 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

It's technically octopods

This is true for the scientific sense that it's order Octopoda (e.g. the plural for members of Hexapoda is "hexapods" and likewise "decapods" for Decapoda), but then it's kind of like saying the plural for "lobster" is "nephropids". The names are close for Octopoda and octopus, but it's still taking the colloquial name and pluralizing it into its scientific name. It's not specifically "to bring it in line with cephalopod"; that's just how generic names of members of taxa ending in 'poda' work generally.

Strictly speaking, "octopods" is the plural of "octopod".

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Once I learned that β€œoctopodes” is pronounced oct-TOP-o-dees not OCT-uh-pohds it became my pluralization of choice.

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Octopodes nuts

[–] myotheraccount@lemmy.world 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 9 points 2 months ago

4 Quadropus = 8 bipus

[–] ol_capt_joe@piefed.ee 17 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Now I'm afraid to but too curious not to ask where might I find the octogoose?

[–] Wild_Mastic@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

In hell, next to cerberus probably.

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[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Student: "language is prescriptive not descriptive"

Teacher: "you fail 3rd grade spelling"

And I absolutely support keeping people back who believe English should be guided and evolved through "Likes".

[–] antonim@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Putting aside the technicalities (it is not language that is prescriptive or descriptive, but linguistics), that's a widespread position among perfectly literate people, including professional linguists. Nothing to do with the number of "likes".

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[–] makeshiftreaper@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Octopussies is actually the name for a harem of Maud Adams clones

[–] matelt@feddit.uk 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

my my my, what a cunning linguist!

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[–] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Just like meese is the plural of moose

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 6 points 2 months ago

No cheeses for us meeces :(

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[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)
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[–] YoiksAndAway@piefed.zip 5 points 2 months ago

Next, we pronounce "apoptosis".

[–] orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 months ago
[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

As a native greek speaker, I find anything other than "octopuses" to be silly. In greek we don't say (any more) octopodes, we say "chtapodia" (the "ch" is the canonical (ELOT) transliteration of the letter Ο‡).

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[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 5 points 2 months ago

I thought it was octopuxen?

[–] Hadriscus@jlai.lu 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

So... 2 cephalopods, 1 cephalopus ?

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[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It should just refer to the number of tentacles. So, for two of them, it would be sΔ“decimpus

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[–] BoosBeau@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Call 'em whatever you like, they're all octobussies to me.

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[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I do like octopods. I will use that from now on and you can't stop me.

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[–] MithranArkanere@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Level 10: all forms are valid as long as enough people use them. The currently most used forms are octopuses and octopi, both valid, but octopi is malformed, so octopuses is preferred. Octopussses and octopii and rare variants of those. Also correct, but rarely used.
Octopodes is also correct, but considered pedantic.

Level 11: Just use what you are used to.

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