Tanygnathus
TAN-ig-nay-thus
Genus
the long-jawed one
Literally: long-jawed
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tany- | long, stretched out | Greek (tany) | combining form of Greek tanyein, to stretch |
| -gn- | jaw | Greek (gnat(h)) | initial 'gn-' — the 'g' is silent at the start of a word in English pronunciation; here it is word-internal so both letters are sounded |
| -athus | jaw (suffix form used in genus names meaning '…-jawed') | Greek (-gnathus) | from Greek γνάθος (gnathos); combined with preceding gn- to give -gnathus |
A single Greek compound noun used as a genus name, treated as masculine in Latin. Tany- (long, stretched) + -gnathus (jaw) = 'long-jawed'. The construction follows the standard Greek pattern of adjective-root + noun-root to yield a descriptive noun, here referring to the notably elongated bill of the parrots in this genus.
Pronunciation
- tan-ig-NAY-thus Antepenult stress would normally apply to a 4-syllable word; however, the penult vowel 'a' in '-nath-' is short and followed by two consonants ('th' counts as one sound but spelled with two letters; 'th' is a single consonant in classical pronunciation), giving an open antepenult — so stress falls on the antepenult 'gnath'. Wait — let me recount: Ta-ny-gna-thus = 4 syllables. Penult = 'gna', vowel 'a' followed by single consonant 'th', so penult is light. Stress therefore falls on the antepenult: TAN-ig-nay-thus. The 'gn' is word-internal so both consonants are sounded; 'y' between two consonants acts as a short vowel 'ih'.
Commonly: tan-ig-NAY-thus (some speakers stress the penult by analogy with -gnathus compounds)
Other readings
One could theoretically split tany- as tan- + y- (a connecting vowel), but the dictionary root tany- meaning 'long/stretched' is well-established and is the correct single unit.
The dictionary and a dictionary lookup calls confirmed: tany- is in the dictionary (Greek, 'long, stretched out'); -gnathus is in the dictionary (Greek, 'jaw', used as a suffix in genus names). Both roots are well-attested in biological nomenclature, e.g. Troglodytes, Prognathous, etc. Tanygnathus is a real genus of large parrots (family Psittacidae) found in the Philippines and nearby islands, named for their distinctively long, heavy bills. The initial 'gn-' cluster: because it is word-INTERNAL (after tany-), both 'g' and 'n' are pronounced (rule: initial gn- is silent only at the very start of a word).