Pharomachrus
fah-ROH-mak-rus
Genus
long-cloaked one (referring to the extraordinarily long tail-covert feathers of the quetzal)
Literally: long/conspicuous cloak
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| pharo- | a cloak or mantle | Greek (pharos) | Greek φάρος (pháros); combines as pharo- |
| machrus | long, large | Greek (makros) | Greek μακρός (makrós); κ→ch spelling variant (transliterated as ch in Latin); -us is the Latinized masculine nominative singular ending applied to the genus name |
A single-word genus name formed from two Greek roots compounded in the standard fashion with the connecting vowel already supplied by the -o- ending of pharo-. The second element makros is Latinized to -machrus to serve as the nominative ending of the genus noun (neuter or masculine Latin form). Coined by Lesson (1830) for the resplendent quetzal and its allies (trogons), alluding to their spectacular, enormously elongated upper tail-covert feathers, which drape like a long cloak.
Pronunciation
- fah-ROH-mak-rus Antepenult rule: the penult vowel 'a' in -mach- is short and followed by only one consonant before a vowel—wait, let me apply carefully. Four syllables: Pha-ro-mach-rus. Penult = 'mach': vowel 'a' is short, followed by two consonants (chr), so penult stress rule 5 applies → stress the PENULT: fah-ROH-mak-rus. Wait: syllables are Pha·ro·mach·rus — penult is 'mach', antepenult is 'ro'. The penult vowel 'a' is followed by ch+r (two consonants), triggering penult stress.
Other readings
Some sources read pharo- as related to Greek pharos meaning 'lighthouse' (cf. Pharos of Alexandria), but the 'cloak/mantle' sense is universally accepted for this genus, fitting the bird's plumage perfectly.
makros could also be parsed as the suffix -machrus independently without a connecting vowel, treating the whole as pharo + makros contracted.
The dictionary and a dictionary lookup confirmed 'pharo' (Greek pharos, cloak/mantle) and 'macr/makr' (Greek makros, long) are both in the dictionary. The spelling -machrus (with ch for Greek κ) is the standard Latin transliteration of Greek κ → ch (as in 'character', 'chorus'). Pharomachrus is the genus of quetzals (family Trogonidae); the resplendent quetzal (Ph. mocinno) is its most famous member. Coined by René Lesson, 1830.