Rupicola
roo-PIH-koh-luh
Genus
one who inhabits (lives among) the rocks
Literally: rock dweller
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rupi- | rock, cliff | Latin (rupes) | stem rupe- / rupi- from Latin rupes (genitive rupis); rupi- is the combining/genitive stem |
| -col- | inhabit, till, cultivate; dweller, inhabitant | Latin (col, -a) | from Latin colere (to inhabit/cultivate); -cola as a suffix means 'dweller in' or 'inhabitant of' |
| -a | nominative singular feminine ending | Latin | makes the genus name feminine, as is conventional for -cola compounds |
A Latin compound noun. 'Rupi-' is the genitive/combining stem of rupes ('rock, cliff'), and '-cola' (from colere, 'to inhabit') means 'dweller'. Together they form a single feminine noun in the nominative singular: 'rock-dweller'. This is a standard Latin formation seen in many genus names (e.g. Terricola, Saxicola). The genus Rupicola includes the Andean and Guianan cocks-of-the-rock, birds that nest on rocky cliff faces.
Pronunciation
- roo-PIH-koh-luh Antepenult rule: the penult vowel (-co-) is short and followed by only one consonant before another vowel, so stress falls on the antepenult (-pi-). The penult -o- is short (followed by a single consonant then -a), and -a is the final syllable pronounced 'uh'.
Commonly: roo-PIH-koh-luh (consistent across ornithological usage)
Other readings
Some analyses treat rupi- as the genitive singular of rupes (rupis → rupi-), meaning 'of the rock', giving a slightly different but equivalent reading: 'dweller of the rock'. Both interpretations point to the same meaning.
Rupicola is the accepted genus name for the cocks-of-the-rock (family Cotingidae), named for their habit of nesting on rocky outcrops and cliff ledges. The suffix -cola is a productive Latin formative appearing in many zoological and botanical genera: Saxicola ('stone-dweller'), Arenicula ('sand-dweller'), Terricola ('earth-dweller'), etc. rupes was confirmed in the dictionary (term: rupe, =s; Latin; rock, cliff). col/-a was confirmed in the dictionary (term: col, -a; Latin; inhabit, till; dweller).