---
title: cuttlefish — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «cuttlefish» in the school dictionary: A cuttlefish is a sea animal related to the squid and octopus, with a wide flat body, eight arms, two long tentacles, a fin around its body and a hard flat shell inside called a cuttlebone. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# cuttlefish

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** cuttlefish, hard flat shell, It, We, budgie, Giant cuttlefish · **What happens:** be, relate, call, change, hide, send · **To what, where:** sea animal, cuttlebone, colour, flash, messages, rocks · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«cuttlefish» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 8 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [cuttlefish in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/cuttlefish.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cuttlefish is a sea animal related to the squid and octopus, with a wide flat body, eight arms, two long tentacles, a fin around its body and a hard flat shell inside called a cuttlebone.

<!-- fold The tree, 36 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:m1:1
# text = A cuttlefish is a sea animal related to the squid and octopus, with a wide flat body, eight arms, two long tentacles, a fin around its body and a hard flat shell inside called a cuttlebone.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cuttlefish	cuttlefish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	related	relate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	squid	squid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	octopus	octopus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
14	with	with	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
16	wide	wide	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
17	flat	flat	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	21	punct	_	_
20	eight	eight	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	21	nummod	_	_
21	arms	arm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	25	punct	_	_
23	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	25	nummod	_	_
24	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	25	amod	_	_
25	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	28	punct	_	_
27	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	28	det	_	_
28	fin	fin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
29	around	around	ADP	IN	_	31	case	_	_
30	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	31	nmod:poss	_	_
31	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	nmod	_	_
32	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	36	cc	_	_
33	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	36	det	_	_
34	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	36	amod	_	_
35	flat	flat	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	36	amod	_	_
36	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	conj	_	_
37	inside	inside	ADV	RB	_	38	advmod	_	_
38	called	call	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	36	acl	_	_
39	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	40	det	_	_
40	cuttlebone	cuttlebone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	38	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
41	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a cuttlefish | a sea animal and a wide flat body and eight arms and two long tentacles and a fin around cuttlefish's body and a hard flat shell |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **relate** | participle |  | a sea animal and a wide flat body and eight arms and two long tentacles and a fin around cuttlefish's body and a hard flat shell *not said here* |  |  |  | to the squid and octopus | vn relate-86.2-2 «NP V PP.co-theme»: agent=Theme to squid=Co-Theme |
| 3 | **call** | participle | a hard flat shell *not said here* | a cuttlebone |  |  |  | inside *property* | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It can change its colour and pattern in a flash to hide or to send messages.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:m2:1
# text = It can change its colour and pattern in a flash to hide or to send messages.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	change	change	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	pattern	pattern	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	flash	flash	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	12	mark	_	_
12	hide	hide	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	15	mark	_	_
15	send	send	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	conj	_	_
16	messages	message	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | can | It | its colour and pattern |  | a flash |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent colour=Patient |
| 2 | **hide** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **send** | to-infinitive |  | messages |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent message=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cuttlefish changed colour to match the rocks.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:x1:1
# text = The cuttlefish changed colour to match the rocks.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cuttlefish	cuttlefish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	changed	change	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	match	match	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	rocks	rock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | past | the cuttlefish | colour |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent colour=Patient |
| 2 | **match** | to-infinitive | the cuttlefish *not said here* | the rocks |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent rock=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cuttlefish squirts ink when it is scared.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:x2:1
# text = A cuttlefish squirts ink when it is scared.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cuttlefish	cuttlefish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	squirts	squirt	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	ink	ink	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	8	mark	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	scared	scared	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **squirt** | present | a cuttlefish | ink |  |  |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent ink=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | cuttlefish |  |  |  |  | scared *property* | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We found a white cuttlebone on the beach.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:x3:1
# text = We found a white cuttlebone on the beach.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	found	find	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	white	white	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	cuttlebone	cuttlebone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	beach	beach	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **find** | past | We | a white cuttlebone |  | the beach |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cuttlebone=Topic |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The budgie pecks at its cuttlebone.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:x4:1
# text = The budgie pecks at its cuttlebone.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	budgie	budgie	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	pecks	peck	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	cuttlebone	cuttlebone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **peck** | present | the budgie |  |  |  |  | at budgie's cuttlebone | vn chew-39.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent at cuttlebone=Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cuttlefish flash stripes of colour to hypnotise their prey.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:x5:1
# text = Cuttlefish flash stripes of colour to hypnotise their prey.
1	Cuttlefish	cuttlefish	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	flash	flash	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	stripes	stripe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	hypnotise	hypnotise	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
8	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **flash** | present | Cuttlefish | stripes of colour |  |  |  |  | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent stripe=Theme |
| 2 | **hypnotise** | to-infinitive | Cuttlefish *not said here* | Cuttlefish's prey |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Giant cuttlefish gather near Whyalla in South Australia.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:x6:1
# text = Giant cuttlefish gather near Whyalla in South Australia.
1	Giant	giant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	cuttlefish	cuttlefish	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	gather	gather	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	near	near	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	Whyalla	Whyalla	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	South	South	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	Australia	Australia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **gather** | present | Giant cuttlefish |  |  | Whyalla |  | in South Australia | vn herd-47.5.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cuttlefish has eight arms and two longer tentacles.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:x7:1
# text = A cuttlefish has eight arms and two longer tentacles.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cuttlefish	cuttlefish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	eight	eight	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	arms	arm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
7	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	9	nummod	_	_
8	longer	long	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	9	amod	_	_
9	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | a cuttlefish | eight arms and two longer tentacles |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent arm=Patient |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Despite its name, a cuttlefish is not a fish.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cuttlefish:x8:1
# text = Despite its name, a cuttlefish is not a fish.
1	Despite	despite	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	cuttlefish	cuttlefish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is a** | present | a cuttlefish | a fish |  |  |  | despite its name | tree rules |
| 2 | **name** |  | its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom name «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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