Momotus
MOM-oh-tus
Genus
the motmot bird
Literally: motmot
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Momot | the motmot bird; a folk name for the motmots, a family of colourful Neotropical birds (Momotidae) | Mexican (Nahuatl/indigenous American) (momot) | Latinised by Brisson (1760) into the genus name Momotus by adding the standard Latin nominative singular ending -us |
| -us | standard Latin masculine nominative singular ending, converting the vernacular word into a Latin noun | Latin | grammatical ending giving the name masculine gender |
Momotus is a uninomial genus name formed by Latinising the indigenous Mexican/Central-American folk word 'momot' (the local name for these birds) with the Latin masculine nominative ending -us. It is treated as a Latin noun of the second declension, masculine gender. All species epithets in this genus must agree with that gender (or stand as nouns in apposition or genitives).
Pronunciation
- MOM-oh-tus Antepenult stress: the penult vowel (-o-) is short and followed by only one consonant (t) before a non-qualifying vowel, so stress falls on the antepenult (MOM-).
Commonly: MOM-oh-tus (uniform in both scientific and birdwatching usage)
Other readings
Some sources derive 'momot' from an onomatopoeic origin, imitating the birds' low, hoot-like call, rather than from a specific language; the exact indigenous source language is debated (possibly Nahuatl or another Mesoamerican language).
'Momot' is not found in the roots dictionary (it is an indigenous Mesoamerican vernacular word, not a classical Greek or Latin root), so this entry relies on general ornithological and taxonomic knowledge and is marked accordingly. Brisson (1760) introduced Momotus in his Ornithologie; the name was later validated under ICZN rules. The family Momotidae and the English name 'motmot' both derive from the same folk word. The word 'momot' / 'motmot' is widely considered onomatopoeic of the birds' distinctive two-note call. Availability of genus names should always be verified against ZooBank or an equivalent registry.