Mimus
MY-mus
Genus
The mimic — referring to the mockingbird's ability to imitate the songs of other birds
Literally: A mimic; an actor
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mim- | an imitation; an actor, mimic | Greek (mim, =us) | stem mim- |
| -us | Latin nominative singular masculine ending | Latin | gives the Greek stem its standard Latin genus-name form |
Mimus is a single-word genus name. The Greek stem mim- (μῖμος, mimos) is given a Latin nominative singular masculine ending -us, as is standard for Latinized genus names under the ICZN. There is no specific epithet here; Mimus names the genus of mockingbirds (family Mimidae).
Pronunciation
- MY-mus Two-syllable word: stress falls on the penult (rule 1).
Other readings
The segment -imus could theoretically be read as the Latin superlative suffix (as in optimus), but that reading is ruled out because the full word mimus is a well-attested Greek and Latin word meaning 'mimic, actor,' and the genus was coined explicitly for the mockingbirds on account of their mimicking behavior.
mus (Latin 'mouse' or Arabic 'banana') at position [2-5] is a coincidental overlap and has no bearing on the name.
Mimus is the type genus of the family Mimidae (New World mockingbirds and thrashers). The name was introduced by Boie (1826) for the Northern Mockingbird and its allies, directly reflecting the birds' celebrated ability to imitate other species' vocalizations. The Greek word μῖμος (mimos) passed into classical Latin as mimus with the same meaning ('mime-actor, imitator'), so the name sits comfortably in both traditions.