Micropsitta
my-cro-PSIT-ta
Genus
little parrot; the pygmy parrot
Literally: small parrot
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| micro- | small | Greek (micr, -o) | combining form micro- before consonant |
| psitt- | a parrot | Greek (psitt, -ac, =acus) | shortened stem psitt- without the full -acus ending; the full form is psittacus |
| -a | feminine nominative singular ending | gives the genus its grammatical gender (feminine), standard for genus names ending in -a |
A single compound noun formed from two Greek roots joined directly (micro- + psitt-) with the Latin feminine nominative ending -a. As a genus name it stands alone; no species epithet is given here. The sitta (nuthatch) match at the same position is a false overlap — the intended root is psitt- (parrot), which fits the biology perfectly: Micropsitta are the world's smallest parrots (pygmy parrots of New Guinea and nearby islands).
Pronunciation
- my-cro-PSIT-ta Penult rule 5: the penult vowel (i in -psit-) is short but followed by two consonants (tt), so the penult is stressed.
Other readings
A minority reading could parse -sitta as the nuthatch root (Greek sitta), giving 'small nuthatch', but the birds are unambiguously parrots; the psitt- reading is correct.
The full Greek/Latin form of 'parrot' is psittacus; the genus name uses the clipped stem psitt- directly, a common practice in 19th-century ornithological nomenclature. The sitta (nuthatch) and opsi (appearance/sight) matches in the same position are incidental overlaps and are not part of the intended etymology.