Syllabus vs. Syllabi

[SoothingDave]

I've no idea where this 'syllabi' monstrosity comes from - well, I have, really. Most latin nouns ending in -us are in the second declension, and have the plural -i. Syllabus is in the fourth (because, as you say, it is derived from Greek), and has the plural syllabūs: Latin Nouns of the Fourth Declension - Endings, AskOxford: What are the plurals of 'octopus', 'hippopotamus', 'syllabus'?

Fortunately for my blood-pressure, the erroneous syllabi is becoming less common because of the rise of 'syllabuses'. Use that, and in the presence of Latin scholars, if you must, use syllabūs.

b

I think teachers/professors started using the "syllabi" plural in jest and somewhere along the way people stopped realizing it was a joke.

[Rover_KE]

To sum up—let's recommend to the original poster (who might by now have lost the will to live) that she uses only 'syllabuses'.

@MsNyree–if you're still there, honey, syllabuses will always be correct.

Rover