Sterna
STER-nuh
Genus
Tern (a seabird); the genus of typical terns
Literally: A tern
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterna | A tern | New Latin (stern, =a) | The =a ending marks this as the standalone, nominative singular form used as a genus name; treated as a feminine Latin noun of the first declension |
Sterna is a uninomial genus name, a single New Latin feminine noun in the nominative singular. It stands alone; no epithet is being analyzed here. The word is New Latin coined from the common name 'tern' (itself from Old English/Old Norse 'stearn'), given a Latin -a ending to produce a feminine first-declension genus name in the style of Linnaean nomenclature. It should not be confused with the Greek root stern-/sterno- meaning 'breastbone' (as in sternum), even though that root is identical in spelling.
Pronunciation
- STER-nuh Two-syllable word: stress falls on the penult (Rule 1). Final -a is pronounced 'uh'.
Other readings
A minority reading traces 'stern' to Greek sternon (breastbone), but this is not the intended etymology; Linnaeus formed the name directly from the vernacular 'tern'.
The dictionary lists 'stern, =a' (New Latin) explicitly as 'a tern', confirming the etymology directly. Do not confuse with the homographic Greek root 'stern, -o, =um' (breastbone/sternum), which is a separate entry with a different combining form and meaning. Sterna is the type genus of the family Sternidae (terns). Many former Sterna species have since been redistributed to other genera (e.g. Thalasseus, Chlidonias). Availability as a name should be verified against ZooBank or GBIF if needed for nomenclatural purposes.