Bombycilla
bom-bih-SIL-uh
Genus
the silky-tailed one; silk-tail
Literally: silk-tail
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| bombyx- | the silkworm; silk | Greek (bomby, -c, =x) | stem bombyx- / bombyc-; final -x drops before the following root, producing the junction bombyc+illa → Bombycilla |
| -cilla | the tail | Latin (cill, =a, -o) | feminine Latin nominative singular; gives the genus its feminine grammatical gender |
A hybrid compound (Greek first element + Latin second element). The Greek stem bombyx- 'silk(worm)' combines with Latin cilla 'tail', yielding a feminine noun in apposition meaning 'silk-tail'. The name alludes to the extraordinarily smooth, silky plumage of waxwings (family Bombycillidae). The final -a is the Latin first-declension nominative feminine ending carried over from cilla.
Pronunciation
- bom-bih-SIL-uh Penult rule 5: the penult vowel 'i' in '-cil-' is short but followed by two consonants (ll), so the penult is stressed.
Other readings
bomby- (silkworm) + c- (stem junction) + -illa (Latin diminutive 'small'): 'little silkworm'. Possible but less convincing because it ignores the independent Latin root cilla 'tail', which is attested in the dictionary and makes better ornithological sense.
The name is a deliberate Greek–Latin hybrid, unusual but not uncommon in Linnaean bird genera. The Greek bombyx (βόμβυξ) referred both to the silkworm and to silk cloth; the combination with Latin cilla evokes the bird's famously sleek, wax-smooth plumage—hence the common name 'waxwing'.