Pseudibis
SYOO-dih-biss
Genus
The ibis that is not a true ibis; an aberrant or false ibis
Literally: False ibis
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| pseud- | false | Greek (pseud, -o) | Combining form of ψεῦδος (pseudos); terminal -o- elided before the following vowel |
| ibis | an ibis | Latin (ibi, -d, =s) | Head noun; stem is ibid-, but nominative singular form is ibis; genus name treated as feminine following ibis |
A compound noun formed from the Greek combining form pseud(o)- and the Latin/Greek noun ibis. The connecting vowel -o- is elided before the initial vowel of ibis, following standard classical practice. The whole word functions as a genus name (noun in apposition), treated as feminine Latin in agreement with ibis. Bonaparte (1855) coined it to distinguish these large, aberrant ibises from genera such as Threskiornis and Geronticus.
Pronunciation
- SYOO-dih-biss Antepenult stress: the penult vowel (i) is short and followed by only one consonant, so stress retreats to the antepenult, which contains the diphthong eu (long 'yoo'). Initial Ps-: the P is silent by the initial-cluster rule.
Other readings
No plausible alternative segmentation exists; the only other theoretical split, eud- + ibis ('calm ibis'), is contradicted by the ps- spelling and the ornithological context.
The initial P of Ps- is silent (initial ps- rule). The diphthong eu is pronounced as long u ('yoo'). ibis is ultimately of ancient Egyptian origin, borrowed into Greek and then Latin; the dictionary records it as Latin with stem ibid-. Bonaparte 1855 is the authority; the genus contains the giant ibis (Pseudibis gigantea) and the white-shouldered ibis (Pseudibis davisoni).