Architeuthis
|Ar-chi-teu-this|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑɹ.kɪˈtuː.θɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑː.kɪˈtjuː.θɪs/
chief/principal squid; giant squid
Etymology
'Architeuthis' originates from New Latin, formed from Ancient Greek elements 'arkhi-' and 'teuthis', where 'arkhi-' meant 'chief' and 'teuthis' meant 'squid'.
'Architeuthis' was coined in 19th-century scientific (New Latin) taxonomy by combining the Greek roots 'arkhi-' + 'teuthis'; it was adopted into modern English as the scientific genus name 'Architeuthis'.
Initially it literally meant 'chief' or 'principal' + 'squid' ('chief squid'), but over time it came to be used specifically as the taxonomic name for the giant-squid genus Architeuthis.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of very large deep-ocean squids, commonly referred to as the giant squid (notably including species such as Architeuthis dux).
An Architeuthis washed ashore after the storm.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/12 10:44