Sittasomus
sit-TA-so-mus
Genus
one with the body of a nuthatch
Literally: nuthatch-body
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| sitta- | a nuthatch | Greek (sitt, =a, -i) | The standalone form sitta (nominative singular of the nuthatch name) is used as the first element; its terminal -a is retained and runs directly into -somus |
| -somus | a body | Greek (=soma, -t, -to) | Greek soma Latinized with the masculine nominative singular ending -us, yielding the compound suffix -somus meaning '-bodied' or 'having the body of'. The stem-final -t- is dropped before the Latin -us ending in this Latinized compound form. |
Sittasomus is a mononomial genus name, treated as a Latin masculine noun in the nominative singular. It is a Greek–Greek compound Latinized in its termination: sitta (the nuthatch, used as a first element in apposition) + -somus (from soma, body, with the Latin masculine -us ending). The construction means literally 'nuthatch-body,' describing a bird whose body resembles that of a nuthatch (Sitta). Coined by William Swainson in 1827 for what is now called the Olivaceous Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptidae).
Pronunciation
- sit-TA-so-mus Four syllables: sit-ta-so-mus. Penult 'so': vowel o followed by only a single consonant m, no diphthong, no x/z, not in the list of inherently long penult endings → penult is short → stress retreats to the ANTEPENULT 'ta'. Antepenult vowel a is short (followed by a single consonant s, then the single vowel o, which does not satisfy the two-vowel rule).
Other readings
A minority reading could split sit- (Greek sitos, food) + -ta- + somus, but the clean match of sitta (nuthatch) as a complete lexical unit is far more convincing and consistent with Swainson's intent.
The suffix -somus (from Greek soma, body) is not listed as its own entry in the dictionary, but soma itself (=soma, -t, -to; Greek; 'a body') is confirmed, and -somus is its well-attested Latinized compound form used in many zoological genus names (e.g. Macrosomus, Leptosomus). Confidence is high. Sittasomus griseicapillus (the Olivaceous Woodcreeper) is the type and only species of this genus.