Antrostomus
an-TROS-toh-mus
Genus
cave-mouthed (one)
Literally: cave mouth
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antro- | cave, cavern | Greek (antron, antr, -o) | combining form antro-; stem from Greek ἄντρον |
| -stom- | mouth; opening | Greek (stoma, stomat, -o) | combining form stom(at)-; here used as stom- |
| -us | nominative singular masculine ending | Latin | standard Latinised genus termination, masculine gender |
A single compound Greek noun Latinised as a masculine second-declension genus name. The head element is -stomus (< Greek stoma, 'mouth'), modified by the combining form antro- (< Greek antron, 'cave'). The whole word therefore means 'having a cave-like mouth', alluding to the enormously wide gape of the nightjars (Caprimulgidae) placed in this genus.
Pronunciation
- an-TROS-toh-mus Penult rule 5: the penult vowel 'o' is short but is followed by two consonants (t + m... wait — let me recount. Syllables: an-tros-to-mus. Antepenult = 'tros', penult = 'to', final = 'mus'. Penult vowel 'o' is followed by only one consonant (m), so stress falls on the ANTEPENULT 'tros'. Corrected respelling: an-TROS-toh-mus. Rule: antepenult stress because the penult vowel is short and followed by a single consonant.
Other readings
antr- could theoretically be parsed as Latin antrum ('cave, cavity'), which is itself a Latinisation of Greek antron — the meaning is identical either way.
Antrostomus is a genus of nightjars (family Caprimulgidae) erected by Bonaparte in 1838, separating several New World species from Caprimulgus. The wide, cave-like gape that inspired the name is a hallmark of the family. The dictionary confirmed 'antr' (cave) and 'stom' (mouth) as dictionary entries; the -us termination is the standard NL masculine genus ending. Stress: four syllables — an · tros · to · mus. The penult syllable 'to' contains a short vowel followed by only one consonant (m), so by the antepenult rule stress falls on 'tros'.