Bucco
BUK-oh
Genus
Big-cheeks — the puffbird genus, named for the birds' large, puffy heads and broad bills
Literally: cheek / puffed-out cheek / chatterbox
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucco | cheek; also a Roman nickname/insult for someone with puffed-out cheeks or a braggart/chatterbox | Latin (bucc, -o) | Latin noun used as a genus name; treated as masculine in zoological nomenclature; the combining form bucc-o- also relates to anatomical 'buccal' (of the cheek) |
Bucco is a single-word genus name, a Latin noun standing alone (noun in apposition as a genus epithet). It derives from Latin bucca (cheek, puffed cheek) with the common Latin agent/nickname suffix -o (genitive -onis), giving a characterising noun meaning 'the big-cheeked one' or 'puff-cheeks'. In Roman comedy, Bucco was a stock buffoon character with inflated cheeks. Brisson applied it to the puffbirds (family Bucconidae) on account of their large, rounded heads and swollen-looking faces.
Pronunciation
- BUK-oh Two-syllable word: stress falls on the penult (rule 1). Penult vowel 'u' is short before double consonant 'cc'; 'cc' before 'o' = hard 'k' sound (not 'ks', since the following vowel is not i/y). Final -o is a long vowel as a word-final vowel.
Other readings
bucca (Latin, 'cheek') + -o (Latin agent/nickname suffix) — most likely
Direct use of the Roman stock-character name Bucco (the clown), applied metaphorically
The dictionary entry bucc, -o confirms the root with the meaning 'cheek / puffed cheek'. The Latin nickname Bucco (a stock Roman comedy character with puffed cheeks) is the proximate source Brisson used in 1760 when establishing the genus. The family name Bucconidae (puffbirds) is derived directly from this genus name. 'cc' before 'o' is pronounced as a simple /k/, not /ks/ (the /ks/ rule only applies before i or y).