Turdus
TUR-dus
Genus
The thrush — a genus of true thrushes
Literally: A thrush
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turd- | a thrush | Latin (turd, -i, =us) | stem turd-, second declension masculine noun |
| -us | Latin nominative singular ending, masculine gender | Latin | second declension nominative singular; the full form turdus is the classical Latin word for thrush used directly as the genus name |
Turdus is the classical Latin noun for a thrush, used directly and unchanged as a genus name. It is a second-declension masculine noun in the nominative singular. There is no specific epithet here; this is the genus name alone.
Pronunciation
- TUR-dus Two-syllable word: stress falls on the penult (rule 1).
Turdus is the direct, unaltered Latin word for thrush, attested in classical authors such as Pliny. It is the type genus of the family Turdidae and includes well-known species such as the American robin (Turdus migratorius) and the common blackbird (Turdus merula). Note that the English word 'turd' is a completely unrelated Anglo-Saxon word (Old English tord); the resemblance is coincidental.