Lichmera
LIK-mer-uh
Genus
The licker (a nectarivore that laps up nectar with its tongue)
Literally: one who licks / a licker
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lichm- | licking; to lick or lap up (Greek λιχμάω, lichmáō, 'to lick/lap') | Greek (lichan) | The stem lichm- is the verb stem of λιχμάω, closely cognate with the dictionary's lichan ('licking; the forefinger'). Not present in the dictionary as an independent entry; derived from general knowledge of Greek. |
| -era | feminine noun-forming ending, giving the sense 'one who [does]' | New Latin | Standard New Latin agent/generic feminine ending; no independent dictionary entry needed |
A single-word genus name treated as a feminine Latin noun in the nominative singular. It is a New Latin coinage built on a Greek verbal stem (λιχμάω, 'to lick/lap') with the New Latin feminine ending -era, yielding the sense 'the licker.' The name alludes to the brush-tipped tongue used by these honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) to lap nectar from flowers.
Pronunciation
- LIK-mer-uh Antepenult stress: the penult 'mer' has a short vowel (e) followed by a single consonant (r) before the final -a, so the stress moves back to the antepenult 'Lich'.
Other readings
lichm- could theoretically be parsed as lichn- (Greek, 'dainty; greedy') with the -n- assimilated before the following consonant, giving 'the dainty/greedy one' — also apt for a nectarivore, but the direct verbal stem λιχμάω is a better fit.
The stem lichm- is not listed as an independent entry in the dictionary, but Greek λιχμάω ('to lick, to lap up') is well attested and is the immediate source; it is closely related to the dictionary's entry lichan ('licking; the forefinger') from the same root λείχω. Lichmera is a genus of honeyeaters (family Meliphagidae) found in Southeast Asia and the Pacific; the name aptly describes their nectar-lapping feeding style. The dictionary entry -ic ('pertaining to') at position 1–3 and mer ('a part; the thigh') at position 4–7 are artefacts of the substring search and do not reflect the actual segmentation of this word.