Corypha
KOR-ih-fuh
Genus
Crown (referring to the tuft or crown of leaves at the summit of the palm)
Literally: The top, the head
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| coryph- | the head, top, crown | Greek (coryph, =a) | Greek κορυφή; the nominative singular ending -a is the standard Latin treatment of a Greek feminine noun used as a genus name |
| -a | nominative singular feminine ending | Greek (Latinized) (=a) | marks the word as feminine in Latin botanical nomenclature |
A single-word genus name. It is the Greek feminine noun κορυφή, 'head, top, summit,' Latinized as Corypha. The -a ending makes it feminine, in line with most palm genus names. No specific epithet is present. The name alludes to the crown of leaves at the apex of the talipot palm.
Pronunciation
- KOR-ih-fuh Antepenult stress: the penult vowel (y, read as short 'ih') is followed by only one consonant (ph), so stress retreats to the antepenult.
Other readings
cory- (Greek 'helmet') + -pha is theoretically possible but coryph- matches the whole stem perfectly and the 'crown/top' meaning suits a tall, crown-bearing palm far better.
The dictionary lists coryph, =a as a complete entry meaning 'the head, top,' confirming Corypha is the direct Latinization of Greek κορυφή (koryphḗ). The alternative root cory- ('helmet') was rejected because it requires an unexplained residual -pha and the 'top/crown' meaning is a far better fit for a palm genus. Corypha is the type genus of the family Corypheae; the name was given by Linnaeus (1753) for the talipot palm, whose massive terminal inflorescence crowns the apex of the trunk.