Dromas
DRO-mass
Genus
The Runner
Literally: a runner; one who runs
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| drom- | Run; running; a race | Greek (drom, -a, -ae, -aeo, -i, -o, =us) | Stem drom- from Greek δρόμος (dromos); the combining forms include droma-, dromo-, dromus, etc. |
| -as | Nominative singular ending of Greek ā-stem (first-declension) masculine nouns, giving the sense 'one who [does the root action]' | Greek | Greek nominative singular -ας; makes the whole word a noun meaning 'a runner'. Not a separate dictionary entry; it is the inflectional ending of the Greek noun δρομάς. |
Dromas is a single-word genus name, treated grammatically as a Latin feminine noun (as is conventional for genus names) but derived from the Greek noun δρομάς, -άδος, meaning 'a runner' or 'one that runs'. The -as ending is the Greek first-declension masculine nominative singular. The name stands alone; there is no specific epithet in this entry. It was given to the Crab Plover (family Dromadidae) by Illiger (1811), likely alluding to the bird's conspicuous fast-running behaviour on tidal flats.
Pronunciation
- DRO-mass Rule 1: two-syllable word — stress falls on the penult (first syllable). The penult vowel 'o' is long (open syllable); the final 'a' is short per the rule that the vowel in the final syllable is short.
Other readings
A remote alternative reading splits the word as dr- + -omas (Latin omas = 'a paunch') but this is semantically absurd and philologically unsound; the Greek runner reading is overwhelmingly preferred.
The Greek noun δρομάς (dromas, genitive δρομάδος) means 'runner' or 'running', built on the root δρόμος (dromos, 'a run, a race'). The same root gives English 'dromedary' (the one-humped camel famed for running speed), 'hippodrome', 'syndrome', and the family name Dromadidae applied to this very bird. The -as ending is a productive Greek suffix (cf. nomad-as, dryad-as) and is fully confirmed by the dictionary entry for drom-, which lists droma- as a combining form. It is not separately entered as a suffix in the dictionary used here, hence in_dictionary is set to false for that segment alone. Dromas ardeola (Paykull, 1805) is the only species in the genus; the genus Dromas was erected by Illiger in 1811.