Nesocharis
neh-SO-kar-is
Genus
graceful island [bird]; grace of the islands
Literally: island grace
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| neso- | an island | Greek (nes, -o, =us) | combining form neso- (nes- + connecting vowel -o-) |
| -charis | favor, grace | Greek (chari, =s, -t) | nominative singular form charis; functions as the head noun of the compound |
A Greek noun compound: neso- (combining form of nēsos, 'island') + charis (nominative singular, 'grace, favor'). The whole word is treated as a feminine Latin noun of the third declension, as is conventional for genus names ending in -is. Nesocharis is a genus of African waxbill-like birds (family Estrildidae), most of whose species are found on or near island or coastal habitats.
Pronunciation
- neh-SO-kar-is Four syllables: Ne-so-char-is. Penult 'char' has a short vowel (a) followed by a single consonant (r) before the ultima, so stress falls on the antepenult 'so'. Antepenult vowel o is short (not followed by two vowels with the first being e/i/y). ch = hard k by the consonant rule.
Other readings
A minority split eso- ('within') + charis is theoretically possible but makes no biological sense; neso- is the unambiguous and accepted reading.
ch is always hard /k/ in scientific Latin pronunciation, giving the syllable 'kar', not 'char' as in English. Nesocharis is an accepted genus of estrildid finches described by Alexander (1903); the name alludes to the attractive plumage of island-associated species. The stem of charis in compounds extends to charit- (e.g. Charitospiza), but as a terminal element the nominative form charis is used directly.