Lophorina
loff-oh-RY-nuh
Genus
the crested one
Literally: crest-bearer
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lopho- | crest, tuft | Greek (loph, -o) | combining form loph- + connecting vowel -o- |
| -rin- | nose, snout | Greek (rhin, -o) | stem rhin- (from rhis, rhinos); the -a ending is the nominative singular feminine |
| -a | nominative singular feminine ending | Latin/New Latin | standard New Latin genus termination, feminine |
Lophorina is a New Latin genus name coined from two Greek combining forms: lopho- ('crest') + rhin- ('snout/beak'). The final -a is the standard New Latin nominative singular feminine ending used for genus names. Taken together, the name describes the bird's prominent supraorbital crest or 'crested snout.' As a genus name it stands alone (no epithet is required), treated as a feminine Latin noun.
Pronunciation
- loff-oh-RY-nuh Antepenult rule: the penult vowel (-ri-) is short and followed by only one consonant before a vowel, so stress falls on the antepenult. However, with four syllables (loph-o-ri-na) the penult is 'ri' followed by single consonant + final -a; antepenult 'o' is stressed. Final -a = 'uh'.
Other readings
An alternative reading splits the ending as -ina (a Latin diminutive or adjectival suffix), giving 'little crested one' or 'crest-like,' which is equally plausible in New Latin coinage.
The dictionary confirmed 'loph' (Greek, crest/tuft) and 'rhin' (Greek, nose/snout) as dictionary entries inside this word. The -ina ending could alternatively be the Latin suffix -ina (adjectival/diminutive), a common New Latin device; either reading yields essentially the same meaning. Lophorina is a real genus of birds-of-paradise (family Paradisaeidae), named for the spectacular iridescent crest of the male superb lophorina (L. superba). 'rhin' here likely alludes to the projecting feathered crest above the face rather than a literal nose, a loose but standard New Latin metaphor.