Nesofregetta
nee-so-freh-JET-uh
Genus
island storm-petrel
Literally: island Fregetta
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neso- | island | Greek (nēsos) | combining form neso-, from Greek νῆσος (nēsos) |
| -o- | connecting vowel | Greek connecting vowel linking neso- to the proper name | |
| fregetta | the seabird genus Fregetta (storm-petrels, family Hydrobatidae); the name Fregetta is itself of uncertain origin, likely coined by Bonaparte (1855), possibly derived from Italian fregata (frigate, a swift vessel) by analogy with seabird names | New Latin proper name (Fregetta) | incorporated as a proper-name stem; Nesofregetta was erected by Oliver (1930) to separate the polynesian storm-petrel from the core Fregetta species |
Nesofregetta is a feminine genus name formed as a compound of the Greek combining form neso- ('island') prefixed to the existing genus name Fregetta. The construction is a noun in apposition / compound genus name, a common practice in ornithological taxonomy when a new genus is segregated from an older one and distinguished by habitat or geography. No species epithet is present; this is a monotypic or uninomial genus-level name.
Pronunciation
- nee-so-freh-JET-uh Penult rule 5: the penult vowel (e in -get-) is short but followed by two consonants (tt), so the penult is stressed.
Other readings
Some authorities treat the -o- between neso- and fregetta purely as the Greek combining-vowel and consider the word a single compound rather than a prefixed proper name; the meaning is unchanged.
The tool the dictionary was called; 'neso' was confirmed in the dictionary (Greek, island). 'Fregetta' is a New Latin proper name not in the roots dictionary; general knowledge used, confidence medium. Nesofregetta fuliginosa (the white-throated storm-petrel) is the single extant species placed in this genus. The Italian word fregata (frigate) is itself from Medieval Latin frigata; the connection to Fregetta is plausible but not certain.