Microbates
my-kroh-BAY-teez
Genus
little walker
Literally: small one that walks (or haunts)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| micro- | small | Greek (micr, -o) | combining form with connecting vowel -o- |
| -bates | one that walks or haunts | Greek (bat, =es) | agent noun suffix form -bates, from Greek bainō (to walk/step); the =es ending is the nominative singular form used to close the compound |
A single Greek compound noun serving as a genus name, treated as masculine in Latin. micro- (small) is the modifier; -bates (one that walks or haunts) is the head noun. The -o- is a connecting vowel between the two roots. The form -bates is a Greek agent noun in -tēs (nominative singular), equivalent to English '-er' or '-ist'.
Pronunciation
- my-kroh-BAY-teez Penult rule 2: the penult syllable 'bates' contains the diphthong 'ae' (= long ee), which forces penult stress; that syllable is stressed and the ae is pronounced as long e ('ee'), giving BAY-teez.
Other readings
A minority reading could parse micro- + bat- (bramble/passable) + -es (agent suffix), but the unitary dictionary entry bat =es meaning 'one that walks or haunts' is the far more natural and well-attested reading, appearing in many bird genus names (e.g. Rhamphobates, Grallaria-allies).
The root bat =es ('one that walks or haunts') is a Greek agent noun from the verb bainō, 'to go/walk.' It is well established in ornithological genus names as a suffix denoting a creature characterised by a particular mode of movement or habitat. The Latin root rob- ('strong; an oak') found within the string is positional coincidence and plays no part in this name. The -es ending here is the full dictionary form (=es), not merely the agent suffix -es appended to bat-; the dictionary treats bat =es as a single lexical unit meaning 'one that walks or haunts.' Microbates is an actual bird genus (gnatcatcher-wrens, family Polioptilidae), coined to describe small, creeping/walking insectivores.