Cygnus
SIG-nus
Genus
The swan
Literally: Swan
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cygn- | a swan | Greek (cygn, =us) | Root cygn-, from Greek κύκνος (kyknos), 'swan'; the form =us signals a Latin masculine nominative singular ending adopted in New Latin nomenclature |
| -us | Latin masculine nominative singular ending | Latin (=us) | Standard Latinizing suffix; makes the word a masculine noun of the 2nd declension |
Cygnus is a single-word genus name, a substantive noun (not an adjective), masculine gender, 2nd-declension Latin form built directly on the Greek root cygn- (κύκνος, kyknos, 'swan') with the standard Latin nominative singular ending -us. Because it is a genus name, no epithet is present here. It is also the name of the constellation of the Swan, long used in classical Latin.
Pronunciation
- SIG-nus Two-syllable word: stress falls on the penult (rule 1). The initial C before y is pronounced 's' (c before y follows the soft-c rule). The y in the first syllable is short ('ih'), giving 'SIG'. Final -us has a short u.
The root cygn- is confirmed in the dictionary as Greek, meaning 'a swan', with the standalone form =us (i.e. cygnus). The Greek original is κύκνος (kyknos); the c-spelling is the Latinized form used since antiquity. Cygnus is also a figure from Greek mythology (several characters bear this name, most famously a companion of Phaethon transformed into a swan) and the name of the northern constellation. The genus Cygnus (Bechstein, 1803) contains the true swans (family Anatidae). Initial C before y = soft 'S' by the consonant rule (c before e, i, y, ae, oe = 's'). The -gn- cluster in the middle of the word is fully pronounced: both g and n are sounded ('g-n'), giving the consonant sequence 'ɡn' as in 'sig-nus'.