Chordeiles
kor-DY-leez
Genus
Evening string (an instrument played at evening — evoking the booming, string-like call of nighthawks at dusk)
Literally: A string of the evening; an evening stringed instrument
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| chord- | A string; the string of a musical instrument | Greek (chord, =a) | Stem chord-, combining with following element; the full word chordeiles also appears as a standalone Greek form in the dictionary |
| -eil- | Evening | Greek (deil, -e) | Combining form deile-; the -ei- is the diphthong of the root, not a separate connecting vowel |
| -es | (Agent/doer suffix; here contributes to the Greek noun form) | Greek | Greek nominative ending completing the compound noun; the full Greek form chordeiles means 'a stringed instrument' |
Chordeiles is a monomial genus name treated as a Latin noun (neuter or masculine by convention) but built entirely from Greek roots. The dictionary records chordeiles as a complete Greek word meaning 'a stringed instrument.' Internally it compounds chord- (string) + deil/e (evening) + -es (nominal ending), yielding the sense 'string/instrument of the evening.' The name was coined by Bonaparte (1838) for a genus of nighthawks (family Caprimulgidae), birds famous for their resonant, booming calls at dusk — an apt metaphor for a vibrating string played in the evening.
Pronunciation
- kor-DY-leez Penult stress: the penult syllable '-dei-' contains the diphthong 'ei' (= long-i 'eye'), which triggers penult stress by Rule 2 (penult contains a diphthong). Final -es = 'ease' by vowel rule.
Other readings
chord- + -o- + -eiles is not supported; the compound is chord- + deile (evening) + -s, with no connecting vowel needed because the second element begins with a consonant cluster
An alternative reading chord- (string) + -es (suffix only) ignoring the evening root is possible but discards the clearly attested deil- root and the dictionary's own standalone entry
The dictionary contains a standalone entry '=chordeiles' (Greek) defined as 'A stringed instrument,' confirming the whole word as a single lexical item in Greek. 'ch' is pronounced as hard 'k' per consonant rules. Final '-es' is pronounced 'eez' (not 'ez') per the rule that -es = 'ease'. 'ei' is the diphthong = long-i 'eye', so the stressed syllable sounds like 'DY'. Bonaparte's choice of this evocative name — a musical instrument of the evening — perfectly captures the nighthawk's haunting, booming dusk calls.