Aquila
AK-wih-luh
Genus
The Eagle — a genus of large raptors (birds of prey), typified by the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos).
Literally: eagle
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquila | an eagle | Latin (aquil, =a) | The form =a is the nominative singular standing form used directly as the genus name; Latin feminine noun, 1st declension. |
Aquila is a single uninomial genus name taken directly from the classical Latin word aquila (eagle). It is a 1st-declension Latin feminine noun used as a substantive (noun in apposition / standing alone) — no epithet is present here. In a full binomial such as Aquila chrysaetos the epithet would agree with or stand in apposition to this feminine noun.
Pronunciation
- AK-wih-luh Three syllables: A-qui-la. The penult ('qui') has a short vowel (i) followed by only one consonant (l), so no penult-stress rule applies. Stress therefore falls on the ANTEPENULT ('A'). The antepenult vowel a is followed by the single consonant-unit qu and then only one vowel (i) before another consonant, so it is short — giving the flat 'a' of 'cat'.
Other readings
The root aquil- is also related to Latin aquilo (the north wind; northern), but that reading does not apply here — the dictionary's direct match aquil, =a ('an eagle') is unambiguous.
Aquila is listed directly in the dictionary as aquil, =a (Latin, 'an eagle'), so the etymology is certain. The genus Aquila (Brisson, 1760) covers true or 'booted' eagles and is one of the oldest bird genera still in use. The related Latin root =aquilo, -ni ('the north wind; northern') shares the same stem but is a separate entry and has no bearing on the genus name.