Synoicus
sin-EE-kus
Genus
one who dwells together; communal dweller
Literally: of/pertaining to dwelling together
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| syn- | with, together, at the same time | Greek (syn) | assimilated combining prefix; becomes sym- before b/m/p, syl- before l, etc. |
| -oic- | house, household; dwelling place | Greek (oiko, oeci) | from Greek οἶκος (oikos); the combining form oiko- / oeci- appears in ecology, diocese, etc. |
| -us | nominative singular ending for masculine (and some neuter) nouns of the second declension | Latin | standard Latin/New Latin genus-name ending; gives the word masculine grammatical gender |
Synoicus is a single-word genus name formed from the Greek prefix syn- ('together') and the Greek root oikos ('house, dwelling'). The New Latin suffix -us makes it a masculine second-declension noun. The overall sense is 'one that dwells/nests together,' alluding to the gregarious or covey-forming behaviour of the buttonquails and quails placed in this genus.
Pronunciation
- sin-EE-kus Penult rule 4: the penult vowel is the diphthong 'oi' (= long-e sound 'ee'), so the penult is stressed. Three syllables: syn-oi-cus → sin-EE-kus.
Other readings
syn- + oicus (adjectival form of oikos, 'of the house'), giving the reading 'house-sharing' or 'cohabiting' as an adjective used substantively.
The dictionary confirmed 'syn' (Greek, with/together) and 'oeco/oiko' (Greek, house) as dictionary entries. The spelling 'Synoicus' reflects the latinised transliteration of Greek οἶκος via the intermediate form -oicus; the diphthong 'oi' is preserved in the spelling and is pronounced as long-e ('ee') per the diphthong rules. Synoicus is used as a genus of Old World quails (Aves: Phasianidae); the name likely refers to their gregarious, covey-living habits. No author/year was supplied by the user; the name is attributed to Gould, 1865.