Aechmophorus
eek-mo-FOR-us
Genus
the one who carries a spear; the spear-bearer
Literally: spear-bearer
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aechmo- | a point, spear-tip, lance | Greek (aichm, -o) | combining form aichmo-, written aechmo- by variant/OCR-era transliteration; connects to -phorus |
| -phorus | bearing, carrying | Greek | from Greek pherein (to bear/carry); used as a suffix meaning '-bearer' |
A single compound noun formed from two Greek elements: aichm(o)- (spear/point) + -phorus (-bearer). Treated as a masculine Latin noun of the second declension (nominative singular in -us). The name refers to the sharp, pointed bill of the grebe, likened to a spear-tip. No specific epithet is present; this is a genus name alone.
Pronunciation
- eek-MOF-or-us Antepenult stress rule: the penult vowel ('o' in -phor-) is short and followed by only one consonant before a vowel, so stress falls on the antepenult (-MOF-). Wait — penult is '-phor-', vowel 'o' followed by single consonant 'r' then vowel 'u': antepenult stress applies. The antepenult 'aech-' reduces to 'eek' (ae = long e). Syllables: Aech-mo-PHO-rus → stress on penult -PHO- because the penult vowel 'o' is followed by single 'r' — checking: penult rule 4 does not apply (not a listed ending), penult vowel 'o' is short and followed by one consonant 'r', not two, so antepenult is stressed.
Commonly: ek-MOF-or-us (common birding usage collapses the first two syllables)
Other readings
Some sources parse aechm- as from Greek 'aichmē' (spear-point, lance) directly, without using the combining form listed; the meaning is identical.
The dictionary and a dictionary lookup both confirmed 'aichm, -o' (spear, point) and '-phorus' (bearer) in the dictionary. The spelling 'Aechmo-' reflects a 19th-century transliteration convention for Greek αἰχμή (aikhmē); modern transcription would give 'Aichmo-', but 'Aechmo-' is established in the scientific name. Aechmophorus occidentalis (Western Grebe) and A. clarkii (Clark's Grebe) are the two living species; the name alludes to the birds' long, sharply pointed, spear-like bills.