Ithaginis
ih-THAJ-in-is
Genus
The true (or authentic) pheasant
Literally: The genuine one
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ithagin- | genuine, authentic, true | Greek (ithagin) | Greek adjectival root used as the basis of a Latinized noun; the 'n' of the stem merges with the following suffix |
| -is | Latin third-declension nominative singular suffix converting the Greek stem into a Latin genus name | Latin | Standard device for Latinizing Greek-derived stems; genitive would be *ithaginidis |
Ithaginis is a Latinized Greek noun in the nominative singular, constructed by appending the Latin third-declension nominative ending -is to the Greek root ithagin- (genuine). It stands alone as a genus name and functions as a noun in apposition to the rank, meaning essentially 'the genuine (bird).' The genus was established by Wagler (1832) for the blood pheasants of Asia. No specific epithet is analyzed here because only the genus name was provided.
Pronunciation
- ih-THAJ-in-is Four syllables: ih-tha-jin-is. Penult 'gin' has a short vowel (i) followed by a single consonant (n), so stress moves back to the antepenult 'tha'. The antepenult 'a' is short (followed by one consonant then a single vowel, not two). Stress therefore falls on the antepenult. The 'g' before 'i' is pronounced as 'j' per the soft-g rule.
Other readings
One might attempt to read itha- as a separate element + hagi (Greek: sacred) + -nis/-is, but the dictionary contains the complete root ithagin (genuine) as a single unit, making that split unnecessary and less likely.
The root ithagin (Greek: genuine) is confirmed in the dictionary. The nominative -is suffix is a standard Latinizing device and is not itself a separate dictionary entry; it is applied from general grammatical knowledge (in_dictionary: false). Ithaginis is a small genus of birds (blood pheasants, family Phasianidae) native to high-altitude forests from the Himalayas to western China. The name 'genuine' likely reflects the author's view of this bird as a quintessential or archetypal pheasant. Only the genus name was supplied; no specific epithet is present to analyze.