Gulosus
gyoo-LOH-sus
Genus
The Glutton — referring to the voracious feeding behaviour of the animals placed in this genus (cormorants)
Literally: gluttonous / full of gullet
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| gul- | throat, gullet; also gluttony | Latin (gula) | Latin noun gula, -ae (f.); stem gul- |
| -os- | suffix meaning 'full of', 'abounding in', 'having the quality of' | Latin (-osus) | Latin adjectival suffix -osus/-osa/-osum; here masculine singular nominative -osus |
| -us | masculine nominative singular ending | Latin | Makes the word a 2nd-declension masculine adjective used as a noun (genus name) |
Gulosus is a single-word genus name formed from the Latin adjective gulosus, -a, -um ('gluttonous, greedy of throat'), used substantively as a masculine noun in the nominative singular. The suffix -osus attaches to the stem gul- of gula ('gullet/throat') to produce an adjective meaning 'full of gullet' or 'gluttonous'. No specific epithet is present; this is a uninomial genus name.
Pronunciation
- gyoo-LOH-sus Penult rule 4: the penult vowel 'o' in '-lo-' is long (open syllable before a single consonant), so stress falls on the penult '-LO-'.
Other readings
Some authorities parse gula as referring purely to the anatomical throat (hence 'big-throated'), while others emphasise its secondary sense of gluttony. Both readings point to the same root and the same suffix; neither changes the segmentation.
The root gula was confirmed in the dictionary (gul, gulo- = throat, gullet, gluttony). The suffix -osus was also confirmed as a Latin suffix meaning 'full of / abounding in'. Gulosus Lesson, 1831 is used for a small genus of cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae); the name alludes to their famously voracious appetite. Final -us: the penult vowel 'o' is long in the classical form gulosus, giving stress on the penult (gyoo-LOH-sus). The final -us is a short, reduced 'us' (as in 'bus').