Selasphorus platycercus
se-LAS-for-us plat-ee-SER-cus
Species (genus + specific epithet)
the broad-tailed light-bearer — a hummingbird whose iridescent gorget flashes brilliant light and whose tail is notably wide
Literally: light-carrier with a broad tail
Selasphorus · genus name
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| selas- | bright, shining (flash of light) | Greek (sela, -sm, -t) | stem selas- from σέλας; the -t- and -sm- forms appear in compounds such as selasma |
| -phor- | carry, bear; movement | Greek (phor, -a, -e, -i, -o) | chosen over the homophone phor 'a thief / a kind of bee' because 'light-bearer' fits a brilliantly iridescent hummingbird |
| -us | Latin nominative singular masculine ending | Latin | standard Latinization of Greek compound nouns in zoological nomenclature |
platycercus · specific epithet (noun in apposition, treated as adjective agreeing with masculine genus)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| platy- | broad, flat | Greek (plat, -e, -i, -y) | connecting vowel -y- retained before consonant |
| -cerc- | the tail | Greek (cerc, -o, =us) | Greek kerkos; the dictionary also lists cerc 'a rod; a kind of poplar' but 'tail' is the standard zoological sense |
| -us | Latin nominative singular masculine ending | Latin | makes the epithet agree in gender with Selasphorus |
Selasphorus is a Latinized Greek compound: selas- (flash of light) + -phoros (one who bears), giving 'light-bearer'. The specific epithet platycercus is itself a Greek compound Latinized: platy- (broad) + cercus (tail), functioning as a noun in apposition (or an adjective agreeing in the masculine) with the genus. Together the binomial reads 'the broad-tailed light-bearer'.
Pronunciation
- se-LAS-for-us Antepenult rule: penult syllable 'pho' has a short vowel (o) followed by only one consonant (r), so the penult is light and stress retreats to the antepenult 'las'.
- plat-ee-SER-cus Penult rule 5: penult syllable 'cer' has a short vowel (e) followed by two consonants (r + c), making it heavy; stress falls on the penult.
Other readings
selasphorus could theoretically segment as sela + s + phorus, treating -s- as a stem connector, but selas- as a single unit (Greek σέλας) is the standard and more parsimonious reading.
Selasphorus is the genus of the North American 'gem' hummingbirds; the name alludes to the brilliant iridescent gorget feathers that flash like light. platycercus specifically names the Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus), a species of western North America, whose tail is distinctly broad compared to related species. The connecting vowel between selas- and -phoros is zero (elision before -ph-), a standard Greek compounding rule.