Pionopsitta
pye-on-op-SIT-uh
Genus
the plump parrot
Literally: fat / rich parrot
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pion- | fat, rich | Greek (pio, -n) | stem pion-; sets the descriptive modifier |
| -o- | connecting vowel | standard Greek combining vowel | |
| -psitt- | a parrot | Greek (psitt, -ac, =acus) | core noun; full form psittakos/psittacus; the -ac- of the full stem is dropped before the feminine ending |
| -a | feminine singular nominative ending | New Latin | gives the genus a feminine grammatical gender, following the convention for genus names ending in -a |
Pionopsitta is a New Latin compound formed from Greek pion- (fat, rich) + connecting vowel -o- + psitt- (parrot) + feminine ending -a. The whole word functions as a single feminine noun. The alternative terminal segment -sitta (Greek 'nuthatch') coincidentally overlaps in the spelling but makes less sense for a parrot genus; the intended root is clearly psitt- (parrot).
Pronunciation
- pye-on-op-SIT-uh Penult rule 5: the penult vowel 'i' is short but is followed by two consonants (tt), so stress falls on the penult syllable 'sit'.
Other readings
Pion-o-sitta could be read as 'fat nuthatch' (pion + sitta), but Pionopsitta is a parrot genus, making the psitt- (parrot) segmentation unambiguous.
The initial 'p' of the embedded cluster '-psitt-' is fully pronounced here because it occurs in the middle of the word (initial ps- rule does not apply mid-word). Pionopsitta was historically a genus of Neotropical parrots; some species have been reclassified into other genera, but the name itself straightforwardly means 'fat/plump parrot'.