*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of polyp

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s) Ancient Greek πολυ- (polu-) Proto-Indo-European *ped- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *pṓdsder. Ancien

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A cylindrical coelenterate, such as the hydra, having a mouth surrounded with tentacles. · The sessile life stage of many cnidarians, whose free-swimming stage, if present, is the medusa. · An abnormal growth protruding from a mucous membrane.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s) Ancient Greek πολυ- (polu-) Proto-Indo-European *ped- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *pṓdsder. Ancient Greek πούς (poús) Ancient Greek πολύπους (polúpous)bor. Latin polypusbor. English polyp From Latin polypus (“a polyp, a polypus in the nose”), from Ancient Greek πολύπους (polúpous, from πολύς (polús, “many”) + πούς (poús, “foot”)). Doublet of polypus.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
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        "2": ":bor",
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    },
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      },
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    },
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    },
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        "2": "grc",
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        "pos": "from <i class=\"Polyt mention\" lang=\"grc\">πολύς</i> (polús, “many”) + <i class=\"Polyt mention\" lang=\"grc\">πούς</i> (poús, “foot”)"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek πολύπους (polúpous, from πολύς (polús, “many”) + πούς (poús, “foot”))"
    },
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        "2": "polypus"
      },
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    },
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        "2": ":bor",
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        "tree": "1"
      },
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    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "*polh₁ús",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/polh₁ús"
    ],
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      "πολῠ́ς",
      "πολύς#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "πολυ-",
      "πολυ-#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "*ped-",
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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      "πολύπους#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "polypus#Latin"
    ],
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      "polypus",
      "polypus#Latin"
    ],
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      "πολύπους",
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A cylindrical coelenterate, such as the hydra, having a mouth surrounded with tentacles.",
        "The sessile life stage of many cnidarians, whose free-swimming stage, if present, is the medusa.",
        "An abnormal growth protruding from a mucous membrane."
      ],
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    "glosses": 0
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for polyp →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cG9seXA