Lobotos
LOH-bo-tos
Genus
lobe-eared one; one having lobed ears
Literally: lobe-ear
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lob- | a lobe | Greek (lob, -o) | stem lob-, combining form lobo-; the final -o- is the connecting vowel absorbed into the following root |
| -ot- | the ear | Greek (ot, -i, -o) | stem ot-, combining form oto-; the two roots share the -o- at the junction (positions 3–5) |
| -os | Greek nominative singular ending, forming a masculine or neuter noun | Greek (Greek nominative -os) | The dictionary's Latin -osus suffix ('full of') is a different word; here the ending is the standard Greek nominative -os, marking this as a Greek-form noun in apposition used as a genus name |
A single compound Greek noun used as a genus name (treated as Latin masculine in the nominative). The two roots lob- ('lobe') and ot- ('ear') are joined by the connecting vowel -o-, and the whole takes the Greek nominative singular ending -os. The name describes a morphological feature—lobed ears—of the organism.
Pronunciation
- LOH-bo-tos Three syllables: Lo-bo-tos. Penult 'bo' has a short vowel followed by a single consonant (t), so the penult condition is not met; stress falls on the antepenult 'Lo'. The antepenult vowel o is followed by a single consonant b and then another vowel o, making it long (LOH).
Other readings
lobo- ('lobe') + -tos: no independent Greek root *tos exists, so this split is rejected
lob- + -otos: ōtos is an attested Greek form meaning 'eared'; this reading (lob + ōtos = 'lobed-eared') is essentially identical in sense and is the most plausible alternative segmentation
The terminal -os is not in the dictionary as a Greek nominative marker; it is identified from general knowledge of Greek morphology (confidence: high). An alternative Greek reading treats the second element as ōtos (eared), an attested compound form seen e.g. in Asio otus (long-eared owl); the meaning is the same either way. No author or year was supplied; rank inferred as genus from the single capitalised uninomial.