Menura
meh-NYOO-rah
Genus
moon-tailed (bird); the one with a crescent-shaped tail
Literally: moon tail
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| men- | moon; crescent | Greek (mene, meno-) | Greek μήνη (mēnē) = moon; the combining form meno- drops the final vowel before the root that follows |
| -ura | tail | Greek (-ura, oura) | from Greek οὐρά (ourá); used as a suffix in zoological names to denote a tail or tail-like structure |
A single-word genus name treated as a feminine Latin noun in the nominative singular. It is a compound of two Greek roots: meno- (moon/crescent) + -ura (tail), coined in New Latin in the style of classical compounding. There is no species epithet here; Menura is the genus name alone. The name alludes to the extraordinary lyre-shaped (crescent-like) tail of the lyrebird.
Pronunciation
- meh-NYOO-rah Antepenult rule: the word has three syllables (Me-nu-ra). The penult vowel 'u' is followed by only one consonant (r) and then the final vowel 'a', so we check whether the antepenult is stressed. The penult contains a single short vowel not followed by two consonants or a diphthong, so stress falls on the antepenult — but wait: the penult vowel is 'u' followed by a single consonant, and most penults with 'u' take penult stress (Rule 4). Stress therefore falls on the PENULT: meh-NYOO-rah.
- meh-NYOO-rah Penult stress: the penult vowel is 'u' followed by a single consonant; by Rule 4 (most penults whose vowel is u take penult stress), the penult -nu- is stressed.
Commonly: men-YOO-ruh (common English usage, same stress, slight vowel reduction on the final syllable)
Other readings
meno- could theoretically be parsed from meno- meaning 'month' (same Greek root, μήν), since moon and month share an origin; the intended sense here is clearly 'crescent/moon-shaped', referring to the tail's shape.
The dictionary confirmed both meno- (moon) and -ura (tail) are present in the dictionary. Menura novaehollandiae (the Superb Lyrebird) is the type species of this genus, named by Davies in 1800. The crescent or lyre shape of the male's elaborate tail plumes directly inspired the name. The roots mene/meno- (moon) and -ura (tail) are both Greek, making this a pure Greek compound rendered as New Latin — no hybrid issue. 'Moon' and 'month' share the same Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (to measure), so meno- carries both senses, but the crescent/moon-shape interpretation is standard for this genus.