Pitangus
pih-TAN-gus
Genus
A flycatcher; the name is drawn directly from the Brazilian (Tupi) vernacular name for the bird
Literally: The pitanga flycatcher
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| pitang- | a flycatcher (the bird) | Brazilian (Tupi) (pitang) | Tupi vernacular name; the full dictionary entry is pitang, =us, meaning 'a flycatcher' |
| -us | Latin nominative singular masculine ending | Latin | Latinizes the Tupi root to form a genus name |
A single-word genus name. The Tupi root 'pitang' has been given the Latin nominative masculine ending -us to conform to the rules of botanical/zoological nomenclature. It stands as a noun in its own right and carries no species epithet here.
Pronunciation
- pih-TAN-gus Penult rule 5: the penult vowel (a) is short but is followed by two consonants (ng), so the penult is stressed.
Other readings
One could naively segment tang- (Latin 'touch') + ang- (Greek 'vessel') + -us, but the dictionary itself provides the direct entry pitang = 'a flycatcher', making that compound reading unnecessary and almost certainly wrong.
The root pitang comes from the Tupi language of Brazil and was recorded by early naturalists as the indigenous name for the Great Kiskadee flycatcher (Pitangus sulphuratus). The dictionary lists the complete form pitang, =us as a single entry under Brazilian, confirming this is a direct vernacular borrowing rather than a classical compound. The superficially similar Latin root tang- ('touch') and Greek ang- ('vessel') play no role in this name.