Anabathmis
an-a-BATH-mis
Genus
the step-climber; one that climbs by degrees
Literally: one of steps / step-climber
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana- | up, throughout, again | Greek (ana) | prefix; here best read as 'up' |
| -bathm- | a step, a degree | Greek (bathm, -o, =us) | stem of bathmós; connecting vowel dropped before the suffix |
| -is | Greek noun-forming suffix (feminine) | Greek | marks this as a substantive noun, feminine gender |
Anabathmis is a Greek compound noun used as a Latin feminine substantive (genus name). ana- (up) + bathm- (step) + -is (noun ending) = 'the upward-stepper' or 'climber of steps'. The genus contains African sunbirds noted for their active, ascending foraging behaviour. No specific epithet is given here; the name stands alone as a genus.
Pronunciation
- an-a-BATH-mis Penult rule 5: the penult vowel (a in 'bath') is short but followed by two consonants th+m, so the penult is stressed.
Other readings
ana- + bath- (deep/high) + -m- + -is: 'deep/high' + nominal suffix — possible but bathm- (step) is the better match as a complete root at that position
The Latin ana (anus) is present at position 0–3 but is ruled out by context; the Greek preposition ana (up) is the standard prefix in zoological names. bath- (deep/high) was considered but bathm- (step) is clearly the correct root since the full sequence b-a-t-h-m is attested as a dictionary entry. Anabathmis is an accepted genus of sunbirds (family Nectarinidae), first described by Reichenbach 1853.