Cercomacra
ser-KO-mak-ruh
Genus
the long-tailed one
Literally: tail long / long tail
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| cerco- | the tail | Greek (cerc, -o) | combining form cerco-; this meaning chosen over 'rod/poplar' (cerc, -i) because the bird context demands it — Cercomacra antbirds are notably long-tailed |
| macr- | large, long | Greek (-macr, -o) | Greek makros; final -a is the feminine nominative singular ending, making the genus grammatically feminine |
| -a | feminine nominative singular ending | standard Latin/Greek genus-name ending; gives the word grammatical gender: feminine |
A compound Greek adjective used as a substantive: cerco- (tail) + macr- (long) + feminine ending -a. The whole word functions as a noun in apposition, meaning 'the long-tailed [bird]'. No specific epithet is present; this is the genus name alone.
Pronunciation
- ser-KO-mak-ruh Four syllables: Cer-co-mac-ra. Penult 'mac' has a short vowel (a) followed by a single consonant (r) before the final vowel, so the penult is light → stress falls on the ANTEPENULT 'co'. Initial c before e = 's'; internal c before a = 'k'; final -a = 'uh'.
Other readings
cerco- (rod, a kind of poplar) + macr- + -a = 'with long rods' — ruled out by zoological context
cer- (wax, Latin) + -coma- (hair) + -acra — rejected because it requires mixing unrelated segments and yields no coherent meaning
Cercomacra is a genus of antbirds (family Thamnophilidae) diagnosed by their long tails, making cerco- 'tail' + macr- 'long' the unambiguous reading. The -a ending is not a separate root; it is the standard feminine nominative ending for Greek-derived genus names treated as Latin. The dictionary entry for macr- lists it as a suffix-like combining form (-macr, -o), i.e. it appears as the second element in compounds, which is exactly its role here.