poulpe

octopus

noun POOLP Rare

Usage Note

Poulpe is the standard French word for octopus and is common in Mediterranean cooking contexts (poulpe à la galicienne, etc.). It competes with pieuvre, which is more literary and associated with Victor Hugo's dramatic sea-monster imagery. In fish-market and restaurant French, poulpe is the default term.

Examples

"Le poulpe grillé est un plat méditerranéen."

Natural Translation

Grilled octopus is a Mediterranean dish.

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