Which is the correct plural form of the word nucleus? a) nucles b) nuclei c) nucleae d) nuclices
The correct plural form of the word 'nucleus' is 'nuclei', following a general rule for words of Latin origin.
Explanation:
The correct plural form of the word 'nucleus' is 'nuclei'
The word nucleus originates from Latin, and in Latin, words that end in '-us' are typically made plural by changing the '-us' to '-i'. Therefore, 'nucleus' becomes 'nuclei' when we refer to more than one nucleus. This rule is similar to other Latin-derived words like 'cactus' (plural 'cacti') and 'focus' (plural 'foci'). However, there are exceptions to this rule, and not all words ending in '-us' follow this pattern.