Stigmatura
stig-mah-TYOO-rah
Genus
Mark-tailed — referring to a distinctive mark on the tail
Literally: Marked tail
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| stigma- | a mark, brand, or spot | Greek (stigma, -t) | Greek noun stigma, genitive stigmatos; stem stigmat- used in combination |
| -ura | tail | Greek (-ura, =a) | from Greek ourá; used as a suffix meaning 'tailed' |
Compound genus name formed from the Greek noun stigma (mark, brand) in its combining stem stigmat-, with the connecting -t- absorbed into the suffix, joined to the Greek suffix -ura (tail). The whole word is treated as a Latin feminine noun in the nominative singular, as is conventional for genus names. The name describes a bird (the Bearded Tachuri complex, Tyrannidae) whose tail bears a distinctive marking.
Pronunciation
- stig-mah-TYOO-rah Antepenult rule: the penult vowel 'u' is followed by a single consonant then -a, giving a long-u penult — wait, let me apply correctly. Four syllables: STIG-ma-tu-ra. Penult = 'tu'. Penult vowel 'u' is followed by a single consonant (r) and the next vowel is 'a', so penult is long → stress the PENULT: stig-mah-TYOO-rah.
Commonly: stig-mah-CHUR-uh (informal English usage collapses the long-u)
Other readings
One could read stigma + -t- + -ura with an explicit connecting consonant; either way the stem is stigmat- and the suffix is -ura, giving the same result.
stigma is confirmed in the dictionary with stem stigmat-; the -t- of the stem merges with the suffix -ura to give Stigmatura. The genus contains the bearded tachuris (family Tyrannidae), small South American flycatchers with a notably patterned tail. The suffix -ura derives from Greek οὐρά (ourá, tail); it is extremely common in zoological genus names (e.g. Thaptura, Synura). The dictionary confirmed both 'stigma' and 'ura' roots in the dictionary.