Rallus
RAL-us
Genus
The rail — a genus of wading birds in the family Rallidae
Literally: rail (the bird)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rallus | the rail (a marsh bird); New Latin form derived from Old French râle, itself from the bird's rasping call | New Latin (rallus) | Nominative singular, masculine; treated as a second-declension Latin noun in -us |
Rallus is a single-word genus name, a New Latin noun of the second declension (masculine, nominative singular). It stands alone as the genus name for the rails (family Rallidae). As a uninomial, there is no epithet to relate grammatically to it. The name ultimately traces to Old French râle, an onomatopoeic word imitating the harsh, grating call of the bird, Latinized to rallus by ornithologists (first used by Brisson 1760, then adopted by Linnaeus).
Pronunciation
- RAL-us Two-syllable word: stress falls on the penult (rule 1).
Other readings
Some authorities derive the word directly from Medieval Latin rallus, but the French onomatopoeic origin is more widely accepted.
Rallus is not found as a root in the dictionary (it is a proper New Latin genus name, not a classical Greek or Latin combining form); etymology is given from general knowledge — confidence high. The name is onomatopoeic: the Old French râle mimics the bird's harsh, rattling cry, and rallus is simply its Latinized form. Linnaeus placed this genus in Systema Naturae (1758); it is the type genus of the family Rallidae and the order Gruiformes (rails, crakes, and coots). Do not confuse with the Latin verb rallo / rallum (a type of scraper); that is an unrelated homograph.