Rhyticeros
RIT-ih-ser-os
Genus
the wrinkled-horn (bird)
Literally: wrinkled horn
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhyti- | wrinkle | Greek (rhytis, rhytid-) | Greek ῥυτίς, stem ῥυτίδ-; final -d- dropped before the connecting vowel, giving rhyti- |
| -o- | connecting vowel | standard Greek connecting vowel -o- | |
| -ceros | horn | Greek (ceras, -o, =ceros) | combining form -ceros used as the terminal element; gives the genus a neuter-like appearance but treated as masculine in Latin |
A single compound noun serving as the genus name. It is formed from two Greek elements joined by the connecting vowel -o-: rhytid- (wrinkle) + -o- + -ceros (horn). The name is treated as a Latin masculine noun in the nominative singular. It describes the conspicuously ridged and wrinkled casque and bill of the hornbills placed in this genus (e.g. the wrinkled hornbill, Rhyticeros corrugatus).
Pronunciation
- RIT-ih-ser-os Antepenult stress: the penult vowel 'e' is short and followed by only one consonant before the final vowel, so stress falls on the antepenult syllable 'Rhyt-' (= RIT-). Initial Rh- is pronounced as a plain R (the h is silent in Anglicised scientific pronunciation). The -c- before -e- is softened to 's'.
Other readings
Some sources parse rhyti- directly from Greek rhytós (wrinkled, folded), but the dictionary stem rhytid- (from rhytís, 'wrinkle') is the standard authority and gives the same meaning.
The dictionary confirmed 'rhytis' (wrinkle) and 'ceras/ceros' (horn) as dictionary entries. The initial 'Rh-' reflects the Greek rough breathing over rho (ῥ); in Anglicised pronunciation the h is silent and the word begins with a plain R sound. Rhyticeros is a genus of hornbills (family Bucerotidae) established by Reichenbach in 1849; the type species is the wrinkled hornbill (R. corrugatus), whose casque and bill bear prominent ridges — hence the name. The connecting -o- absorbs or replaces the stem-final -d- of rhytid-, a standard Greek compounding convention.