Lepidopygia
lep-ih-doh-PIJ-ee-uh
Genus
the scaly-rumped one
Literally: scale-rump
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lepido- | a scale | Greek (lepi, -do, =s, -sma) | combining form lepido- from lepis (stem lepid-) |
| pyg- | the rump | Greek (pyg, =a, -o) | base form before the suffix |
| -ia | condition; used in New Latin as a noun-forming suffix for genus names | Greek | gives the word neuter-plural or feminine singular gender; here feminine singular as a genus name |
A New Latin genus name formed from two Greek combining forms. Lepido- (scale) modifies pyg- (rump), with the taxonomic suffix -ia making the whole word a feminine singular Latin noun. The name refers to a characteristic of the rump, likely scaled or distinctively feathered at the rump. No species epithet is given.
Pronunciation
- lep-ih-doh-PIJ-ee-uh Antepenult rule: penult vowel 'i' in '-gi-' is short and followed by only one consonant before a vowel, so antepenult is examined; but the penult 'gi' has a short vowel followed by a vowel making the syllable open — applying the standard rule for a 5-syllable word: penult is '-gi-' (short, open), so stress falls on the antepenult '-py-' — however 'pyg' + 'ia' forms '-pij-ee-uh'; the penult here is '-ee-' (a diphthong derived from -i-a), so stress the penult: PIJ-ee-uh. Counting syllables: Le-pi-do-pyg-i-a = 6 syllables; penult = 'gi' short open syllable → stress antepenult 'pyg'. Final answer: stress on PYGG = PIJ.
Other readings
A minority reading could parse epi- (upon) + do- + pyg- + -ia, but the dictionary match lepido- (scale) at position 0 is clearly the better and standard segmentation.
Lepidopygia is a real bird genus (waxbills, family Estrildidae); the name alludes to the scaly or distinctly patterned rump feathering characteristic of the group. The suffix -ia here functions as a standard New Latin genus-name ending, not as a pathological/condition term. Stress falls on the antepenult syllable 'pyg' (= PIJ) because the penult vowel 'i' is short and in an open syllable (not followed by two consonants), triggering the antepenult rule.