Mecocerculus
meh-koh-ser-KYOO-lus
Genus
the little long-tailed one
Literally: little long-tail
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| meco- | long; length | Greek (meco) | combining form ending in -o-; the -o serves as the connecting vowel to the next root |
| -cerc- | the tail | Greek (cerc, -o, =us) | combining form cerco-; the final -o of the combining form is elided before the Latin suffix |
| -ulus | little (diminutive) | Latin (-ul, =a, =e, =um, =us) | Latin masculine diminutive suffix; gives the whole word its masculine gender as a New Latin noun |
Mecocerculus is a compound genus name built from two Greek roots joined by the standard Greek connecting vowel -o-, with a Latin diminutive suffix -ulus appended to the end. The first element meco- (long) functions as an adjectival modifier of the head noun cerc- (tail), and -ulus downsizes the whole concept: 'little long-tail.' The name is a New Latin masculine noun treated as second-declension Latin. Coining Greek roots with a Latin diminutive is a well-established hybrid practice in zoological nomenclature. The genus contains small South American tit-tyrant flycatchers (family Tyrannidae) that have conspicuously long tails relative to their tiny bodies, making the name aptly descriptive.
Pronunciation
- meh-koh-ser-KYOO-lus Penult stress: the penult syllable 'cu' contains the vowel u, and the rules stipulate that most penults whose vowel is u are treated as long, triggering penult stress. Additionally, c before e is pronounced 's', and c before u is pronounced 'k'.
Other readings
An alternative reading of cerc- as 'a rod; a kind of poplar' (cerc, -i, =is) is possible but contextually implausible for a bird name; 'tail' is the overwhelmingly better fit.
The name is a Greek–Latin hybrid: Greek meco- + cerc- with a Latin diminutive suffix -ulus. Such hybrids are common in 19th-century zoological nomenclature and are perfectly valid under ICZN rules. The connecting -o- visible between meco- and -cerc- is the regular Greek combining vowel and is already built into the combining form meco-. Mecocerculus is a genus of tit-tyrants (family Tyrannidae) endemic to Andean South America, described by Sclater & Salvin in 1873.