Arses
AR-seez
Genus
the male; refers to the male bird
Literally: the male one (masculine bird)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| arsen- | male | Greek (arsen) | Standard Greek adjective ἄρσην / ἄρρην; the nominative singular here ends in -es rather than the more common -en, an alternate Greek nominative form |
| -es | nominative singular ending (also used as an agent suffix, 'one who …') | Greek | Here it is the inflectional ending of the Greek adjective arsen, not an independent agent suffix |
Arses is a single-word genus name treated as a Latin noun of masculine gender. It derives from the Greek adjective ἄρσην (arsēn) 'male', with the alternate Greek nominative singular form -es. The name describes the distinctively ornamented male plumage of the frilled monarch flycatchers placed in this genus. No specific epithet is given; the user supplied only the genus name.
Pronunciation
- AR-seez Two-syllable word: stress falls on the penult (= the first syllable). Final -es is pronounced 'ease' per the rule that -es = 'ease'.
Other readings
ars- (Greek, 'a raising, lifting') + -es (agent suffix) = 'one who raises / lifts'. This is a possible mechanical reading of the letters but makes little biological sense for a bird genus and is less likely than the arsen 'male' reading.
The dictionary entry for arsen (Greek, 'Male; (L): Arsenic') is the best match for this genus name. The alternate spelling arses for the Greek nominative of ἄρσην is well attested in classical and New Latin biological nomenclature. The surface match ars- 'a raising, lifting' + -es agent suffix is mechanically possible but contextually implausible for a bird genus. Arses is a small genus of monarch flycatchers (Monarchidae) native to New Guinea and northern Australia, named by René Lesson (1830). The genus name alludes to the striking ornamentation of the male birds.