Selenidera
seh-leh-NIH-deh-ruh
Genus
moon-throated; the one with a moon-marked neck
Literally: moon-neck
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| seleni- | the moon | Greek (selen, -e, -i) | combining form seleni-; refers to the crescent- or moon-shaped markings on the throat/neck of these toucans |
| -der- | the neck; the hide | Greek (der, -o) | root der-, here meaning 'neck'; dero- is the combining form |
| -a | feminine nominative singular ending | standard Latin/New Latin genus-name ending, giving the word feminine gender |
A compound noun coined in New Latin from two Greek roots joined directly without a connecting vowel (seleni- ends in a vowel, so -o- is dropped before der-). The ending -a gives the genus feminine grammatical gender, standard for New Latin genus names. The name is a noun in apposition describing the conspicuously coloured throat/neck of the toucanets in this genus.
Pronunciation
- seh-leh-NIH-deh-ruh Five syllables (se-le-ni-de-ra). Penult 'de' has a short vowel followed by a single consonant, so stress falls on the antepenult 'ni'. The antepenult vowel i is short (followed by a single consonant d, not the pattern a/e/o/u + consonant + e/i/y that would make it long).
Other readings
seleni- could in principle be read as New Latin seleni- 'selenium', but that element was not known until 1817 and the biological sense 'moon-marked neck' fits the birds' plumage far better. The Latin fragments len- 'lentil', nid- 'nest', and the suffix -id are positional coincidences and not part of the intended etymology.
Selenidera is a genus of toucanets (family Ramphastidae) named for the crescent-shaped, often iridescent, patches on the sides of the head and neck, likened to the moon (Greek selene). The root der- has several meanings in the dictionary ('neck', 'hide', 'old', 'flay'); 'neck' is chosen here because the coloured neck/throat is the defining visual feature of the genus. No connecting vowel appears between seleni- and -dera because seleni- already ends in a vowel.