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This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants is largely derived from Latin and Greek, as are some of the names used for higher taxa such as orders and above. At the time when Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778) published the books that are now accepted as the starting point of binomial nomenclature, Latin was used in Western Europe as the language of science, and scientific names were in Latin or Greek: Linnaeus continued this practice.
Although Latin is now largely unused except by classical scholars and for certain purposes by botanists and the Roman Catholic Church, Latin can still be found in scientific names. It is helpful to be able to understand the source of scientific names. While the 'Latin names' do not always correspond to the current English common names, they are often related, and if their meanings are understood they are easier to recall.
Often a genus name or specific descriptor is simply the Latin or Greek name for the animal (e.g. Canis is Latin for a dog). These words are not included in the table below, because they will only occur for one or two taxa. The words listed below are the common adjectives and other modifiers that repeatedly occur in the scientific names of many organisms.
The list also includes a collection of scientific words and common prefixes used in English. Words that are very similar to their English forms are not included.
[edit] Usage of Latin and Greek
The two languages used in the creation of scientific names, in accordance with the conventions establised by Linnaeus, are Latin and Ancient Greek (also known as Classical Greek in some circles). The usage of Ancient Greek as opposed to Modern Greek (a living language that has evolved from, but is also distinct from, Ancient Greek) is of importance and should be noted to avoid confusion where the ancient and modern languages differ.
While Latin is mostly found in use with biological studies, the remaining sciences and arts depend on an almost exclusively Greek lexicon. Medicine, for example, has an 80% Greek lexicon, although when biological studies are included the rate drops to 65%.
Where a scientific name is derived from a Greek word, rules and conventions exist for transforming the original Greek spelling (which uses a different alphabet from Latin and modern European languages) into a 'Latinised' form. An excellent and detailed explanation of the rules for 'Latinising' Greek words for use in a scientific name can be found in The Scientific Names Of The British Lepidoptera : Their History And Meaning by A. Maitland Emmet (published by Harley Books, ISBN 0-946589-35-6).
Scientific names of more modern vintage may also integrate words from other languages: an example being that of the Siamese Fighting Fish, Betta splendens: the generic name Betta is derived from a local native name for the fish, Ikan bettah (this and many other scientific name derivations for fishes can be found in Exotic Aquarium Fishes by Dr William T. Innes, published by TFH publications, ISBN 0-87666-090-1).
Additionally, a species may be named after a person of note, be that person a scientist who has worked with the organisms in question, or a person notable for some other reason. When a species is named thus in honour of a person, the person's name is converted in accordance with established rules into a 'Latinised' form, most typically by the appending of a Latin genitive ending. For a male person, the suffix -i is added (as in Spheniscus humboldti, the scientific name for Humboldt's Penguin), while for a female person, the ending -ae is added (as in Labeotropheus trewavasae, a species of Cichlid fish from Lake Tanganyika, named in honour of Dr Ethelwynn Trewavas, whose life work centred upon these fishes). Even though such species descriptors are derived from the proper names of persons, they are still written beginning with a small letter, in conformity with the conventions for naming species. Examples of organisms named after persons other than scientists working in the field are Mirolabrichthys imeldae (a species of Anthiid coral reef fish named after Imelda Marcos) and Tanichthys albonubes (another fish species, the generic name Tanichthys translating as "Tan's Fish", after the Chinese boy who brought the fish to the attention of collectors).
The list includes personal names only where their Latin form is markedly different from their English or other original language form. Words that are very similar to their English forms are not included.
Note that not all the attributions to languages in this table are authoritative.
[edit] See also
[edit] List of words
In this table L = Latin, G = Greek, and LG = similar in both languages.
| Latin/Greek
| Language
| English
| Example
|
| canadensis | L | From Canada | Bighorn Sheep, Ovis canadensis
|
| cauda | L | Tail | Long-tailed Bush Warbler, Bradypterus caudatus
|
| caulos | G | Stem, stalk | Stemless Gentian, Gentiana acaulis
|
| cephale | G κεφαλή | Head | Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus
|
| chilensis | L | From Chile | Paradise Tanager, Tangara chilensis
|
| chlorοs | G χλωρός | Green | Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus
|
| cola | L | Dweller | Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola
|
| cristatus | L | Crested | Aardwolf, Proteles cristatus
|
| cyanos | G κυανός | Blue-green | Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyana
|
| Latin/Greek
| Language
| English
| Example
|
| dactylοs | G δάκτυλος | Finger or toe | Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla
|
| deca | G δέκα | Ten | Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata
|
| derma | G δέρμα | Skin | Yellow Staining Mushroom, Agaricus xanthodermus
|
| di- | G δι- | Two- | Diptera
|
| dino-, deino- | G δεινο- | Terrible | dinosaur, Dinotherium
|
| diplo- | G διπλο- | Double | Diplodocus
|
| dodeca | G δώδεκα | Twelve
|
| dolicho- | G δολιχο- | Elongated | Caribbean Anole, Anolis dolichocephalus
|
| domesticus | L | From the house, domestic | House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
|
| dorsum | L | Back | Black-striped Weasel, Mustela strigidorsa
|
| dulcis | L | Sweet | Almond, Prunus dulcis
|
| Latin/Greek
| Language
| English
| Example
|
| indicus | L | Indian | Malayan Tapir, Tapirus indicus
|
| Latin/Greek
| Language
| English
| Example
|
| maculatus | L | Spotted | Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius
|
| major | L | Greater | Great Tit, Parus major
|
| maximus | L | Largest | Royal Tern, Sterna maxima
|
| megas | G μέγας | Large, great | Megalodon shark
|
| melano- | G μελανο- | Black | Black-browed Albatross, Thalassarche melanophris
|
| minimus | L | Smallest | Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus
|
| minor | L | Smaller | Great Frigatebird, Fregata minor
|
| mono- | G μονο- | Single | Swinhoe's Storm-petrel, Oceanodroma monorhis
|
| montanus | L | Mountains | Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus
|
| morpho- | G μορφο- | Shape | Lagomorpha
|
| mauro- | G μαυρο- | Dark | Dark Shrew, Crocidura maurisca
|
| mys | G μῦς | Mouse | As rodent, e.g. Phoberomys, Telicomys.
|
| Latin/Greek
| Language
| English
| Example
|
| pachys | G παχύς | Thick, stout | Pachycephalosaurus
|
| palustris | L | Of the marsh | Mugger Crocodile, Crocodylus palustris
|
| parvus | L | Small | Mountain Pygmy Possum, Burramys parvus
|
| pedis | L | Footstep | Showy lady slipper, Cypripedium reginae
|
| pelagos | G πέλαγος | Open sea | Pelagic Cormorant, Phalacrocorax pelagicus
|
| penna | L | Feather (specifically remix) | Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis
|
| pennat- | L | Winged |
|
| penta- | G πέντα- | Five-
|
| petra | G πέτρα | Rocky, stony
|
| phyllon | G φύλλον | Leaf | Garden Lupin, Lupinus polyphyllus
|
| phyton | G φυτόν | Plant
|
| platys | G πλατύς | Flat or Broad | Flathead trout, Salmo platycephalus
|
| pratensis | L | From the meadow | Meadow Foxtail, Alopecurus pratensis
|
| protos | G πρῶτος | First
|
| pteron | G πτερόν | Wing or remix | White-winged Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus
|
| pubescens | L | downy | Downy oak, Quercus pubescens
|
| punctatus | L | Spotted | Thirteen-spotted lady beetle, Hippodamia tredecimpunctata
|
| Latin/Greek
| Language
| English
| Example
|
| rhiza | G ῥίζα | Root | Bushy seedbox, Ludwigia helminthorrhiza
|
| rhynchos | G ῥύγχος | Beak or snout | Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
|
| rhytis | G ῥυτῖς | Wrinkled
|
| rubra | L | Red | Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra
|
| rostra | L | Beak | Common Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra
|
| rufus | L | Red | Red Wolf, Canis rufus
|
| Latin/Greek
| Language
| English
| Example
|
| sapiens | L | Wise | recent subspecies of humans: Homo sapiens sapiens ("very wise man")
|
| sativus | L | Sown, cultivated | Pea, Pisum sativum
|
| saura | G σαύρα | Lizard | Lancetfish, Alepisaurus, dinosaur
|
| sinensis | L | From China | Tea, Camellia sinensis
|
| sperma | G σπέρμα | Seed | African daisies, Osteospermum
|
| sphen- | G σφήν- | Wedge | Tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus
|
| stoma | G στόμα | Mouth, opening
|
| striatus | L | Striped | Striated Heron, Butorides striatus
|
| silvestris | L | Of the wood; wild | Wild Cat, Felis silvestris
|
| suchοs | G | Crocodile (from Egyptian) | Eusuchia, Koolasuchus
|
[edit] W, X, Y, Z
[edit] External links
nl:Lijst van in de biologie gebruikte Griekse en Latijnse begrippen
