Lonchura
LONK-yoo-ruh
Genus
spear-tailed (bird)
Literally: spear-tail
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lonch- | a spear, lance | Greek (lonch, =a, -o) | combining form loncho-; here the -o- connecting vowel is dropped before the vowel-initial second element |
| -ur- | the tail | Greek (ur, =a, -o) | stem ur-; gives combining form -uro- |
| -a | nominative singular feminine ending | Latin/New Latin feminine noun ending, placing the genus grammatically as a feminine noun |
A New Latin feminine genus name formed from two Greek combining forms: lonch- (spear) + -ur- (tail) + -a (nominative feminine ending). The name alludes to the sharply pointed, spear-like tail feathers characteristic of many munias and mannikins in this genus (family Estrildidae).
Pronunciation
- LONK-yoo-ruh Antepenult stress: the penult vowel (-u-) is short and followed by only one consonant before the final -a, so stress falls on the antepenult (LON-).
Other readings
lonch- could theoretically be read as onch- (barb, hook) + a leading 'l', but the dictionary entry for lonch- 'spear, lance' is the obvious and accepted match for the full sequence l-o-n-c-h.
The genus Lonchura Reichenbach 1850 contains the munias, mannikins, and silverbills (family Estrildidae). The 'spear-tail' name refers to the pointed central tail feathers seen in many species. The connecting vowel -o- expected between lonch- and -ur- is elided because -ur- begins with a vowel (standard Greek compound practice); hence Lonch-ura, not Loncho-ura. The Latin ur- 'burn' (as in uranium-related terms) is irrelevant here; the Greek ur- 'tail' is the correct choice given the zoological context.