Ammoperdix
am-oh-PUR-diks
Genus
The sand partridge — a genus of partridges inhabiting arid, sandy deserts of the Middle East and Central Asia
Literally: Sand-partridge
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ammo- | Sand | Greek (amm, -o, =us) | Base ammos; combining form ammo- used before consonant |
| -o- | Connecting vowel | Standard Greek connector | |
| perdix | A partridge | Greek (perd, -ic, =ix) | Nominative singular form perdix; stem perdic-; feminine gender carried into New Latin |
Ammoperdix is a single compound genus noun formed from the Greek combining form ammo- (sand) and the Greek noun perdix (partridge). The head noun perdix is feminine, and the whole compound is treated as a feminine New Latin noun in apposition. There is no specific epithet; this is a uninomial genus name.
Pronunciation
- am-oh-PUR-diks Rule 5: penult vowel e in -per- is short but followed by two consonants (d + x = /ks/), so the penult is stressed
The connecting vowel -o- is absorbed into the ammo- combining form, so the join is amm-o-perdix rather than ammo-o-perdix. perdix is both the Greek common noun for partridge and the name of a figure from Greek mythology (Perdix, nephew of Daedalus), but in this genus name the common-noun sense is intended. Ammoperdix contains two species: the Sand Partridge (A. heyi) and the See-see Partridge (A. griseogularis).