Myrmochanes
myr-MOH-ka-neez
Genus
the one that gapes (open-mouthed) at ants; an ant-follower that opens wide
Literally: ant-gaper
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| myrm- | an ant | Greek (myrme, -co, =x) | stem myrme- shortened to myrm- before the connecting vowel -o-; full combining form would be myrmeco- |
| -o- | connecting vowel | standard Greek linking vowel | |
| chan- | yawn, gape; open (the mouth) | Greek (chan, -e, -o) | |
| -es | agent/doer suffix; also the Greek nominative singular ending for many nouns | Greek | gives the word a nominal 'one who does X' force |
A single compound noun formed from two Greek roots joined by the connecting vowel -o-. myrm(e)- (ant) + -o- + chan- (gape/open) + -es (nominative ending / agent suffix) = 'one who gapes at ants' or 'the open-mouthed ant follower'. As a genus name it is treated as a Latin neuter or masculine noun in apposition to itself; no species epithet is given here.
Pronunciation
- myr-MOH-ka-neez Four syllables: myr-mo-cha-nes. The penult 'cha' has a short vowel (a) followed by a single consonant (n), so the penult is light and stress falls on the ANTEPENULT 'mo'. Final -es is pronounced 'eez' per the rule that -es = 'ease'.
Other readings
A minority reading could take myr- as myr-/myro- (ointment, perfume) + och- (that which holds/supports) + -anes, but this produces no coherent meaning for a bird, so the myrme- (ant) + chan- (gape) segmentation is strongly preferred.
Myrmochanes is a genus of antbird (Thamnophilidae), which strongly confirms the myrme- 'ant' reading over myr- 'ointment/perfume'. The dictionary lists the full combining form as myrme-, -co- (giving myrmeco- in words such as Myrmecocystus); here the author compressed it to myrm- + o-, a common truncation in coined genus names. The root myrme, -co, =x is in the dictionary; the specific truncation myrm- before -o- is a well-attested authorial shortening, confidence high.