Acridotheres
a-kri-DOH-ther-eez
Genus
Those who hunt locusts; the locust-hunters
Literally: locust-hunters
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| acrid- | a locust | Greek (acri, -d, =s) | stem acrid-, from akrís (ἀκρίς), genitive akríd-os; the -d is the stem consonant |
| -o- | connecting vowel | standard Greek combining vowel linking the two stems | |
| -theres | hunt for; summer | Greek (ther, -o) | alternatively from ther, -i, -io meaning 'wild beast'; -es is the Greek agent/plural suffix (nominative plural of a -ης/-ηρ agent noun, 'hunters'); 'locust-hunters' fits the biology perfectly |
The genus name is a single compound Greek noun treated as plural, used as a Latin nominative. Acrid- (locust, stem) + -o- (connecting vowel) + -ther- (hunt / hunter) + -es (Greek agent-noun / nominative plural suffix). The compound means 'locust-hunters', referring to the habit of mynas following livestock or locusts to feed on insects disturbed from the ground.
Pronunciation
- a-kri-DOH-ther-eez Five syllables: a·cri·do·ther·es. The penult 'ther' has a short vowel (e) followed by only one consonant (r) before the final syllable, so penult-stress rule 5 does not apply. The final -es = 'eeze' by rule. Stress therefore falls on the antepenult 'do'.
Other readings
acrid- + -o- + ther- (wild beast) + -es: 'locust-beasts', i.e. beasts that eat locusts — less idiomatic but grammatically valid with the 'wild beast' sense of ther-.
The genus Acridotheres contains the common myna and allies (family Sturnidae). The name is confirmed as Greek ἀκρίς (locust) + θηρ- (hunter), coined by Vieillot 1816. The 'wild beast' sense of ther- is also in the dictionary, but the 'hunt for' sense yields the more ecologically apt reading 'locust-hunters'. The final -es is the Greek suffix for an agent or doer, here functioning as a nominative plural.