Streptopelia
strep-toe-PEE-lee-uh
Genus
The collar dove — a dove marked by a bent or ring-like neck band, alluding to the curved black-and-white half-collar characteristic of most species in the genus
Literally: Twisted dove
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| strept- | Bent, twisted; pliable | Greek (strept, -o) | Combining form strepto-; alludes to the curved neck collar of these doves |
| -o- | Connecting vowel | Standard Greek combining vowel linking strepto- to -pelia | |
| -pelia | A dove | Greek (=pelia) | Terminal element; dictionary form =pelia indicates it is used at the end of a compound word |
Streptopelia is a single compound genus name formed from the Greek combining form strepto- (bent, twisted) joined by the connecting vowel -o- to the Greek terminal noun -pelia (a dove). The head is -pelia; strepto- is the modifier. As a genus name it is treated as a Latin feminine noun of the first declension. No species epithet is present; this is a genus-level name only.
Pronunciation
- strep-toe-PEE-lee-uh Penult syllable 'li' has a short vowel followed only by a single vowel, so penult stress is excluded. Antepenult syllable 'pe' has vowel e followed by a single consonant (l) and then two vowels (ia), the first being i, making the antepenult vowel long; stress therefore falls on the antepenult.
Commonly: strep-tuh-PEE-lee-uh (reduced connecting vowel in informal usage)
Other readings
An alternative reading might derive the first element from Greek trept- (turned about, changed) rather than strept- (bent, twisted), giving a sense of 'turning dove'; however, the strepto- (twisted, bent) reading is strongly preferred as it directly explains the characteristic bent neck-collar markings of the group.
Both strepto- and -pelia were found in the dictionary with high confidence. The genus was established by Bonaparte in 1855 and contains the collared doves and turtle-doves; the name directly references the distinctive curved or horseshoe-shaped neck-collar markings shared by most member species.