Struthio camelus
STROO-thee-oh KAM-eh-lus
Species (binomial)
The camel-bird — an ostrich likened to a camel
Literally: The ostrich [that is a] camel
Struthio · genus
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Struthio | an ostrich | Latin (=struthio, -n) | Latin nominative singular, neuter; Latinized from Greek strouthíōn. Used as a standalone word forming the genus name. |
camelus · specific epithet
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| camelus | a camel | Greek (camel-, -o, =us) | Greek root camel- with Latin nominative ending -us; used as a noun in apposition to the genus name, not as an agreeing adjective. |
Struthio is a Latin noun (neuter nominative singular) serving as the genus name. Camelus is a noun in apposition: it stands alongside the genus name as an independent noun rather than as an adjective agreeing in gender. Linnaeus borrowed the classical phrase camelus avis ('camel-bird') and compressed it into a single epithet, evoking the ostrich's long neck and desert-adapted lifestyle.
Pronunciation
- STROO-thee-oh Antepenult stressed: the penult vowel i is short and followed by only one letter before the final vowel o, so penult stress is not triggered. The antepenult u is long (followed by a single consonant then the two vowels i and o), giving the 'oo' quality.
- KAM-eh-lus Antepenult stressed: the penult vowel e is short and followed by only the single consonant l before the ending -us, so no penult-stress condition is met. The antepenult vowel a is short.
Other readings
No alternative segmentations are plausible; both words are attested as complete dictionary entries.
Struthio is listed in the dictionary as a complete standalone Latin word (=struthio) meaning 'an ostrich', derived ultimately from Greek strouthíōn. Camelus is listed as the Greek root camel- with the Latin nominative ending -us, meaning 'a camel'. The combination echoes the classical Latin phrase camelus avis ('camel-bird'), used by ancient writers for the ostrich. Linnaeus formalised this tradition in 1758. The epithet camelus is a noun in apposition, not an adjective; it does not change form to agree with the neuter genus name Struthio.