noun / verb

squid

SKWID/skwɪd/

A marine animal with a long body, eight arms, and two tentacles.

The squid swims with eight arms and two longer feeding tentacles.

A single squid swimming in side-three-quarter view, with its tapered soft mantle, paired fins, eight arms and two longer feeding tentacles clearly distinguished; a small dark ink plume trails from its funnel.

Etymology

The name's origin is unknown. One suggestion makes it a sailors' variant of “squirt,” referring to the animal's jet of ink, but this remains uncertain.

In context

Cleo Abram0:02

Inside the stomach of a sperm whale, there's an alarming amount of colossal squid. And look at this thing. It's huge.

The New Hunt for the Colossal Squid

More examples

Several squid moved through the water.
They squidded from the pier after dusk.
The crew is squidding in the bay.

Forms

squid · squids · squidded · squidding