Gypaetus
jip-EE-tus
Genus
The vulture-eagle; a bird that is at once vulture and eagle
Literally: vulture-eagle
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| gyp- | a vulture | Greek (gyp, =s) | stem of Greek γύψ (gyps); the terminal -s of the nominative is dropped to form the combining stem |
| -aetus | an eagle | Greek (aet, -o, =us) | used here in its standalone nominative singular form -aetus; no connecting vowel is needed because the second element begins with a vowel |
Gypaetus is a compound noun formed from two Greek roots joined without a connecting vowel (because the second element begins with a vowel). Both elements are Greek, making this a pure Greek compound. It functions as a masculine Latin second-declension noun in the nominative singular (the -us ending being the Latinised nominative). There is no specific epithet here; Gypaetus is the genus name alone, coined by Storr (1784) for the Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus).
Pronunciation
- jip-EE-tus Penult stressed because the penult syllable contains the diphthong -ae- (rule: penult with a diphthong takes the stress).
Other readings
A minority reading could take the initial gyp- from gyps 'chalk' (also Greek), but 'vulture' is universally accepted and far more appropriate for a large raptor.
The genus contains a single living species, the Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus). Despite its name meaning 'vulture-eagle', it is now placed firmly within the Old World vulture clade (Accipitridae). The g before y is soft (= 'j') by the rule that g = 'j' before i, e, y, ae, oe. The diphthong ae is pronounced as a long 'ee' sound.