Neophema
nee-oh-FEE-muh
Genus
new voice
Literally: new voice / new utterance
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neo- | new, recent, young | Greek (neo, -o) | combining form neo- joins to the following root via direct attachment |
| -phema | voice, speech, utterance | Greek (pheme, phema) | from Greek φήμη (phēmē); used as a terminal element; the -a ending gives the genus a neuter or feminine Latin form |
Single-word genus name. 'Neo-' (new) modifies '-phema' (voice/utterance), both Greek. The compound is treated as a feminine Latin noun of the first declension, following standard zoological convention for genus names ending in -a. The name was coined by John Gould (1841) for a group of Australian grass-parakeets whose calls differ from those of related parrots.
Pronunciation
- nee-oh-FEE-muh Antepenult rule: the penult vowel 'e' in '-phe-' is long (it derives from Greek ē and precedes a single consonant), so stress falls on the penult — giving FEE. The final -a is short 'uh'. Result: nee-oh-FEE-muh.
Other readings
Some sources parse -phema as from Greek phaino (φαίνω, to show/appear), yielding 'new appearance'; however the standard etymological reading is from pheme (φήμη, voice/utterance), and this is the accepted derivation.
'Neophema' is the accepted genus name for a group of small Australian grass-parakeets (family Psittacidae), containing species such as the Turquoise Parrot (N. pulchella) and the Scarlet-chested Parrot (N. splendida). The tool confirmed 'neo' and 'pheme/phema' are both present in the dictionary. Final -a is treated as feminine first-declension Latin, following ICZN convention.