Vauriella
vaw-ree-EL-uh
Genus
(Named) for Charles Vaurie; the suffix -ella is a Latin diminutive meaning 'little' or 'dear little one'
Literally: Little Vaurie
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaurie- | Surname of Charles Vaurie (1906–1975), French-American ornithologist | French (Vaurie (proper name)) | Honorific base; the final -e of the surname is elided before the suffix |
| -ella | Small; Latin diminutive suffix, here used as an honorific diminutive in a genus name | Latin (=ell, =a, =um, =us) | Feminine nominative singular, so the genus is grammatically feminine |
The genus name is a single Latin word formed by appending the feminine diminutive suffix -ella to the honoree's surname Vaurie. The suffix makes it a feminine Latin noun in the first declension. No species epithet is present; this is a uninomial genus name.
Pronunciation
- vaw-ree-EL-uh Penult rule 5: the penult vowel (e in -el-) is short but followed by two consonants (ll), so the penult is stressed.
Other readings
A purely phonetic reading might try to parse 'Vaur-' against aur- (Latin, gold or ear) but the capital V and the biographical context make the proper-name reading certain.
Vaurie (the surname) is not in the dictionary; identification is from general ornithological knowledge (high confidence). Vauriella is a genus of Old World flycatchers (family Muscicapidae), erected in honour of Charles Vaurie. The dictionary matches for auri- (gold, ear) and -uri (tail/urine) are spurious; the V is capitalised and the name is a transparent patronymic. Cannot verify current nomenclatural availability; check IOC World Bird List or ZooBank for the accepted status of the genus.