Strix
STRICKS
Genus
Owl
Literally: owl (also: screech-owl; a blood-sucking witch or vampire of Roman folklore)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strix | an owl; in Roman folklore, a screech-owl believed to drink blood; a witch or vampire that took the form of a night-bird | Latin (strig, strix) | Latin third-declension feminine noun, stem strig-; used directly as the genus name in the nominative singular |
Strix is a single-word genus name, a Latin third-declension feminine noun (stem strig-). As a genus name it stands alone; any species epithets placed in it must agree in gender with the feminine, or be a genitive or noun in apposition.
Pronunciation
- STRICKS Two-syllable rule does not apply here — the word is monosyllabic, so the single syllable bears full stress. The final -ix is pronounced as a short vowel + ks.
Other readings
The Greek cognate στρίξ (strix, gen. στριγός) carries the same meaning and is the probable ultimate source of the Latin borrowing; both traditions reinforce the identification with owls.
The dictionary entry lists the root as 'strig, strix' (Latin), confirming the stem strig- used in derivative forms such as Strigidae (the owl family) and strigiform. In Roman legend the strix (plural striges) was a horrifying nocturnal creature — part screech-owl, part blood-drinking witch — giving the name a richer folkloric dimension beyond its straightforward ornithological use. Linnaeus coined the genus Strix in 1758 (Systema Naturae, 10th ed.) for the true owls; it now applies specifically to the earless, round-faced owls such as the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) and Barred Owl (Strix varia). The family name Strigidae and the order Strigiformes are both built on the oblique stem strig-.