From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
octopus
n 1: tentacles of octopus prepared as food
2: bottom-living cephalopod having a soft oval body with eight
long tentacles [syn: devilfish]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Octopus \Oc"to*pus\, n. [NL. See Octopod.]
1. (Zool.) A genus of eight-armed cephalopods, including
numerous species, some of them of large size. See
Devilfish.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Zool.) Any member of the genus Octopus.
[PJC]
3. (Fig.) Something resembling an octopus in having numerous
controlling arms or branches that reach widely and
influence many activities; -- used mostly of
organizations, such as diversified corporations.
[PJC]