Eriocnemis
eh-ree-OCK-neh-miss
Genus
the woolly-legged one
Literally: wool-leg
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| erio- | wool, woolly | Greek (eri, -o) | combining form of Greek ἔριον (érion), joining the next root via the -o- connector |
| -cnem- | the leg, shin | Greek (cnem, -o, =is) | stem from Greek κνήμη (knḗmē); here the connecting vowel is dropped before the suffix |
| -is | nominal ending | Greek | Greek nominative singular ending; makes the compound a feminine noun treated as Latin feminine in taxonomic usage |
A compound noun formed from two Greek roots joined by the connecting vowel -o-. The first root eri(o)- means wool and the second root cnem- means leg or shin. The ending -is is the standard Greek/Latinised nominative singular. The whole word functions as a noun in apposition naming the genus after the conspicuous fluffy feathered 'boots' (leg plumes) of these Andean hummingbirds. No species epithet is given; the name is rank genus only.
Pronunciation
- eh-ree-OCK-neh-miss Antepenult stress: the penult (-ne-) contains a short vowel followed by only one consonant, so stress falls on the antepenult (-oc-). Initial 'E' is short; 'c' before 'n' is pronounced 'k'.
Commonly: eh-ree-OCK-neh-mis (same in practice)
Other readings
Some sources parse -cnem-is as a single dictionary form 'cnemis' (greave, leg-armour), which gives the same literal meaning but treats the -is as part of the root rather than a separate ending.
The genus Eriocnemis (Reichenbach, 1854) contains the puffleg hummingbirds of South America, named for their dense white leg-feather tufts that resemble woolly boots. The initial 'E' is short (not a diphthong), so it is pronounced as a plain short 'e'. 'cn-' at the start of -cnemis is a medial cluster (not word-initial), so both letters are sounded: 'k-n'. The -is ending is confirmed by the dictionary entry for cnem, -o, =is.