Creatophora
kree-a-TO-fo-ra
Genus
bearer of flesh; the flesh-carrier
Literally: flesh-bearer
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| creat- | flesh, meat | Greek (cre, =as, -at, -o) | stem of kreas (flesh); the -at- is the stem extension seen in the genitive kreatos |
| -o- | connecting vowel | standard Greek combining vowel | |
| -phora | carry, bear; movement | Greek (phor, -a, -e, -i, -o) | -phora is the feminine nominal suffix form of the root, meaning 'a bearer / carrying' |
Creatophora is a feminine Greek compound noun used as a genus name. The head is -phora (a bearer, feminine agent noun), modified by the genitive-stem creat- (of flesh). The construction is creat- + connecting vowel -o- + -phora, a standard Greek bahuvrihi or agent-noun compound. It stands alone as the genus name with no specific epithet supplied. The genus is applied to the Wattled Starling (Creatophora cinerea), and the name alludes to the fleshy wattles the male develops during breeding season.
Pronunciation
- kree-a-TO-fo-ra Five syllables: cre-a-to-pho-ra. Penult 'pho' has a short vowel followed by a single consonant (r), so stress retreats to the antepenult 'to'. Antepenult vowel o is followed by single consonant ph then vowel o, but that following vowel is not e, i, or y, so the antepenult vowel is short.
Other readings
A minority reading might try atop- (Greek: out of place) + -o- + -ra, but this is much weaker and leaves 'cre-' stranded with no meaning.
The Latin ora (mouth) at the end is a coincidental overlap; the Greek phora reading is clearly correct.
Creatophora cinerea is the Wattled Starling (family Sturnidae). The fleshy caruncles (wattles) on the male's head during breeding are the direct referent of 'flesh-bearer'. The dictionary entry for phor also gives 'a thief; a kind of bee', but the combining form -phora meaning 'bearer/carrier' is the overwhelmingly correct reading here. The connecting vowel -o- is not an independent segment in the dictionary but is the standard Greek interfix.