Trogon
TROH-gon
Genus
gnawer; the one that gnaws or nibbles
Literally: the gnawing (one)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| trogo- | nibble, gnaw | Greek (trogo) | Greek verb stem τρώγ- (trōg-); the combining form trogo- represents the verb τρώγειν (trōgein) |
| -on | present-participle / agent suffix: 'the one who …' | Greek (-ōn) | Greek present participle ending -ων (-ōn), making the whole word τρώγων (trōgōn) = 'gnawing (one)'; not the root gon = angle or knee |
Trogon is a single-word genus name, a Greek present participle used as a substantive noun (masculine). It stands alone as a monotypic genus name. The participle τρώγων literally means 'the gnawing one,' referring to the bird's habit of gnawing nest cavities into soft wood and of biting into fruit with its serrated bill. The name was introduced by Möhring (1758) and adopted by Brisson for the type genus of family Trogonidae.
Pronunciation
- TROH-gon Two-syllable word: stress always falls on the penult (first syllable). The penult vowel 'o' is in an open syllable and is therefore long ('oh').
Other readings
A superficially possible but incorrect reading would split the word as trog- (cave, from trogl-) + -on, but the dictionary root for 'cave' is trogl-, not trog-, so the gnawing interpretation is strongly preferred.
The genus name comes directly from the Greek present participle τρώγων (trōgōn), 'gnawing, nibbling,' from the verb τρώγειν (trōgein). The birds are named for their behaviour of gnawing nest holes in rotten wood and nibbling fruit. The suffix -on here is the Greek participial ending -ων, not the separate roots gon (angle), gon (knee), or gon (seed/generation), even though those forms appear identically in the dictionary. The family Trogonidae and order Trogoniformes are formed from the same root.