Chrysolophus
kri-SOH-loh-fus
Genus
The bird with the golden crest
Literally: Golden crest
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| chryso- | Gold | Greek (chrys, -o, =us) | Combining form; connecting vowel -o- is part of the combining form |
| -loph- | A crest, tuft | Greek (loph, -i, -o, =us) | Head noun of the compound |
| -us | Nominative singular masculine ending | Latin | Latinizes the Greek compound into a standard masculine genus name |
Both roots are Greek, joined by the combining vowel -o- already present in the combining form chryso-. The first element chryso- acts as an adjectival modifier meaning 'golden'; loph- is the head noun meaning 'crest' or 'tuft'. The terminal -us is the standard Latin nominative masculine singular ending used to Latinize Greek compound genus names. The whole word is a noun meaning 'golden crest', applied to the pheasant genus in reference to the brilliant golden or yellow crest feathers of its members.
Pronunciation
- kri-SOH-loh-fus Four syllables: Chry-so-lo-phus. Penult (-lo-) has a short vowel followed by a single consonant (ph) with no diphthong and no other penult-stress trigger, so stress falls on the antepenult (-so-). The antepenult vowel o is long, giving 'oh'.
Both chrys and loph are confirmed in the dictionary: chrys, -o, =us (Greek, 'gold') and loph, -i, -o, =us (Greek, 'a crest, tuft'). -us is the standard Latinized nominative masculine singular ending used for Greek-derived genus names and is confirmed in the dictionary. Chrysolophus is the accepted genus name for the Golden Pheasant (C. pictus) and Lady Amherst's Pheasant (C. amherstiae), both noted for their ornate crests.