List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names
From Freepedia
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, as are the names used for higher taxa such as families and orders. At the time when Linnaeus devised the hierarchical scientific classification of living things, Latin was used in Western Europe as the language of science, so it was natural that he should use the Latin name of each animal as its definitive scientific name. Although Latin is now largely unused except by classical scholars and for certain purposes by botanists and the Roman Catholic Church, the use of Latin names remains. It is helpful to most people to be able to understand the common words that arise from scientific names, and the table lists some of these; 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.
The benefit of having a scientific language is that it avoids subjectivity and political argument, while promoting an honest description of the subject or object of investigation.
The list includes a collection of scientific words and common prefixes used in English. Words that are very similar to their English forms are not included.
Often a genus or specific name 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 systematic names of many organisms.
Not all the words or parts of words used in scientific names for living things are derived from Latin. Some are derived from Greek, some from languages local to the places where the organisms are found, and many from the names of the people who first described a species or other taxon. However all are treated grammatically as if they were Latin words. In particular this means that to indicate possession, the endings -a and -us turn into -ae and -i respectively, and non-Latin names of people add -i if male and -ae if female. So "Humboldt's penguin" has the binomial name Spheniscus humboldti. Note too, from this example, that despite the fact that Humboldt is a proper name, the rule that species names do not have a capital letter takes precedence. Greek unlike Latin is a living language; however scientific nomenclature generally uses latinised spelling and Ancient Greek rather than Modern Greek vocabulary. While Latin is mostly found in use with biological studies, the remaining sciences and arts depend on an almost exclusive Greek lexicon. Medicine for example has some 80% Greek nomenclature although when we include the biological studies the rate drops to 65%, Chemistry 70% and Physics, Math, and Microbiology are based on Greek Nomenclature.
The list includes personal names only where their Latin form is markedly different from their English or other original language form, so that it might be difficult to guess the relationship. 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.
See also
List of words
In this table L = Latin, G = Greek, and LG = similar in both languages.
| Latin/Greek | Language | English | Example |
| albus | L | White | American White Ibis, Eudocimus albus |
| archaeos | G | Ancient | Archaeopteryx |
| arctos | L | Northern | Grizzly Bear, Ursus arctos |
| argentatus | L | Silvery | Herring Gull, Larus argentatus |
| arvensis | L | From the field | Skylark, Alauda arvensis |
| australis | L | Southern | Kauri, Agathis australis |
| borealis | L | Northern | Northern Right Whale Dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis |
| brachy | G | Short | Smallhead Rush, Juncus brachycephalus |
| bradus | G | Slow | Three-toed sloth, Bradypus |
| brevis | L | Short | Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Ceratogymna brevis |
| cauda | L | Tail | Long-tailed Bush Warbler, Bradypterus caudatus |
| caulos | G | Stem, stalk | Stemless Gentian, Gentiana acaulis |
| cephalus | G | Head | Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus |
| chilensis | L | From Chile | Paradise Tanager, Tangara chilensis |
| chloreus | G | Green | Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus |
| cola | L | Dweller | Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola |
| cristatus | L | Crested | Aardwolf, Proteles cristatus |
| cyanos | G | Blue-green | Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyana |
| dactylus | G | Finger or toe | Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla |
| deca | G | Ten | Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata |
| dermis | G | Skin | Yellow Staining Mushroom, Agaricus xanthodermus |
| di- | G | Two- | Diptera |
| diplo- | G | Double | Diplodocus |
| dodeca | G | Twelve | |
| dolicho- | G | 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 |
| echinus | G | Spine | Sea-urchin cactus, Echinopsis |
| ennea | G | Nine | Scurvy-grass Sorrel, Oxalis enneaphylla |
| erythro | G | Red | Spotted Redshank, Tringa erythropus |
| familiaris | L | Common | Dog, Canis familiaris |
| flora | L | Flower | Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora |
| folius | L | Leaf | American Beech, Fagus grandifolia |
| fuscus | L | Dark brown | Sooty Tern, Sterna fuscata |
| fulvus | L | Yellow | Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva |
| gaster | G | Belly | Common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster |
| glycis | G | Sweet | Soybean, Glycine max |
| hexa | G | Six | Water Primrose, Ludwigia hexapetala |
| hortensis | L | From the garden | Orphean Warbler, Sylvia hortensis |
| indicus | L | Indian | Malayan Tapir, Tapirus indicus |
| lateralis | L | Side | Black-footed Rock Wallaby, Petrogale lateralis |
| leucus | G | White | White-winged Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus |
| lineatus | L | Lined or striped | Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata |
| lutea | L | Yellow | Red-billed Leiothrix, Leiothrix lutea |
| maculatus | L | Spotted | Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius |
| major | L | Greater | Great Tit, Parus major |
| maximus | L | Largest | Royal Tern, Sterna maxima |
| melanus | G | Black | Black-browed Albatross, Thalassarche melanophris |
| minimus | L | Smallest | Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus |
| minor | L | Smaller | Great Frigatebird, Fregata minor |
| mono- | G | One- | Swinhoe's Storm-petrel, Oceanodroma monorhis |
| montanus | L | Mountains | Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus |
| morphos | G | Shape | Lagomorpha |
| mauro- | G | Dark | Dark Shrew, Crocidura maurisca |
| niger | L | Black | Black Poplar, Populus nigra |
| nona | L | Nine | |
| nothos | G | False, bastard | |
| notos | G | Southern | Hopping mouse, Notomys |
| novaehollandiae | L | From New Holland (Australia) | Emu, Dromaius novaehollandiae |
| novaeseelandiae | L | From New Zealand | Southern Boobook Ninox novaeseelandiae |
| noveboracensis | L | From New York | Northern Waterthrush, Seiurus noveboracensis |
| obscurus | L | Dark | Dusky Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus |
| occidentalis | L | Western | Eastern Arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis |
| octa | G | Eight | Octopus |
| oeos- | G | Tubular | |
| officinalis | L | For the workshop; medicinal | Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis |
| oleum | L | Oil | Jack O'Lantern, Omphalotus olearius |
| orientalis | L | Eastern | Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis |
| ortho- | G | Straight | Orthoptera |
| pachys | G | Thick, stout | |
| 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 |
| pelagius | G | Oceanic | |
| penta- | G | Five- | |
| petra | G | Rocky, stony | |
| phyllo | G | Leaf | Garden Lupin, Lupinus polyphyllus |
| phyton | G | Plant | |
| platy | G | Flat | Flathead trout, Salmo platycephalus |
| pratensis | L | From the meadow | Meadow Foxtail, Alopecurus pratensis |
| protos | G | First | |
| pteron | G | Wing | White-winged Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus |
| punctatus | L | Spotted | Thirteen-spotted lady beetle, Hippodamia tredecimpunctata |
| rhiza | G | Root | Bushy seedbox, Ludwigia helminthorrhiza |
| rhytis | G | Wrinkled | |
| rubra | L | Red | Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra |
| rostra | L | Beak | Common Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra |
| rufus | L | Red | Red Wolf, Canis rufus |
| sativus | L | Sown, cultivated | Pea, Pisum sativum |
| saurus | G | Lizard | Lancetfish, Alepisaurus |
| sinensis | L | From China | Tea, Camellia sinensis |
| sperma | L | Seed | African daisies, Osteospermum |
| stoma | G | Mouth, opening | |
| striatus | L | Striped | Striated Heron, Butorides striatus |
| silvestris | L | Of the wood; wild | Wild Cat, Felis silvestris |
| tetra- | G | Four- | |
| tinctorius | L | For dyeing | Woad, Isatis tinctoria |
| tomentosus | L | Furry | Fuzzy Mock-orange, Philadelphus tomentosus |
| tres, tris | LG | Three | Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla |
| trich-, thrix | G | Hair | Cloud ear fungus, Auricularia polytricha |
| unus | L | One | |
| variabilis | L | Variable | Grey Bunting, Emberiza variabilis |
| variegatus | L | Variegated | Variegated Laughingthrush, Garrulax variegatus |
| ventrus | L | Belly | |
| verrucosus | L | Rough skinned | Warty Pig, Sus verrucosus |
| viridis | L | Green | Green Alder, Alnus viridis |
| volans | L | Flying | Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys volans |
| vulgaris | L | Common | Beet, Beta vulgaris |
| xanthos | G | Yellow | Yellow Staining Mushroom, Agaricus xanthodermus |
| zygos | G | Yoke | Zygoptera |
