English Explanatory Dictionary

Octopus card

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A contactless smart card, introduced in 1997, used as a form of payment in Hong Kong, originally for the mass transit system, but now widely used for public transport and other retail transactions.

Word forms

Octopus card Octopus cards

Etymology

Coined in a naming competition. Like its Chinese counterpart 八達通 /八达通 (baat³ daat⁶ tung¹), it references the number eight, as an octopus has eight tentacles.

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