Latin Terms

[Heather]

I came across this in a file at work and thought it might be useful to some of us.

Colors
alba= white
caerulea = sky blue
aurea = golden
niger = black
rosea = rosy, pink
rubra = red
viride = green
virens = greenish
glauca = w/bloom or whitish
chlore = green
melan = black
atropurpureus = blackish purple
luteum = yellow

Size
mini = small
macro = large
mega = largest
parvi = small
pauci = few
lati = wide
angusti = narrow
tenui = thin, weak
grandi = large, showy
minor = less
major = more
hyper = above, extreme


Numbers
uni, uno = one
mono = one
duo = two
bi- = two
tri, tre = three
tern = three
tetra = four
quatro = four
quinque = five
sex = six
septa = seven
octo = eight
novem = nine
deca = ten
poly = many
bunda = oh so many
a- = without
oligo- = few

Habitat
sylvatica = woods
arvensis, -a= cultivated land
palustris, -a= of marshes
alpina = alpine
montana = mountainous
rivale = by streams
virginiensis= from eastern North America
pennsylvanica= Mid-Atlantic
canadensis= north of NY, Canada
occidentalis= western
australis = southern
borealis = northern
orientalis = eastern
campestris= plains/low fields
caroliniana= from the south
americana= discovered in America

Habit (style of growth)
cernua = nodding
repens = creeping
procumbens= reclining
verticillata= whorled
acaulis = stemless
stolonifera= producing runners


Shape/Texture
glabra, -ous= smooth, without hairs
rotundi = round
reni = kidney shape
cordata = heart shape
linearis = long/narrow
cornuta = horn shaped
pubescens= downy
hirsuta = hairy
sempervirens= evergreen
rugosa = wrinkled
maculata s = potted
lucide= shiny
laevis= smooth
cuneatus = wedge-shaped
pilosus = hairy

General
folia, -um, -us= leaf
phylla, -um, -us =leaf
carpum = fruit
flora = flower
petala = petal, petal-like
radicans = rooting
sativus = cultivated or sown
hetero = different/variable
homo = similar/alike
sperma, -us= seed
gymno- = naked
novi = new
ped = foot
-oides = resembles
pseudo = false
vernalis = spring
aestivale = summer
autumnalis= fall
hyemalis = winter
nivalis = of the snow
officinalis = on official list, for medical use


Suggested reference:
Neal, Bill. Gardener’s Latin, Discovering the Origins, Lore & Meanings of Botanical Names. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. 1992.

Pronunciation:
It has been said that the secret to pronouncing Latin names is....to do it with authority!
Here are a few basic rules that will help. Maybe the greatest aid is hearing the words.

Endings:
words ending in -aceae (typical family ending); a-see-ee
the “ch” in Polystichum; pronounce as a “k”
the double “cc” as in occidentalis; ox-si-dentalis
the letter “i”’ ee
the letter “g”: hard before a, o, u; soft before e, i, y
Accents:
words ending in two syllables bounded by consonants (Camptosorus, Osmunda)have the accent on the next to the last syllable; Camptosorus, Osmundawords ending in two syllables not bounded by consonants (Botrychium, banksiana,Tofieldia) have the third syllable from the end accented: Botrychium, banksiana, Tofieldia.

All vowels in words ending in -ium, -ia, -ii, etc. are usually pronounced individually

 

[goldenrose]

Excellent! Very useful!
Too many for my memory, I'll have to copy & paste!

 

[Heather]

Thanks Ron,
The first two are actually two columns, combined, so I'll still edit the first message.

 

[Ron-NY]

ah, I see what you are saying...LOL, I should have waited for you and copied and pasted.
color one column and size another. I am going to remove my post and wait for your edit

 

[Heather]

You get an A+ for effort, Ron.

If people have others to add, please do!

 

[Mark]

Nice, Heather.

I'm also fond of the Dictionary of Botanical Epithets. Now I know my Pinellia pedatisecta has something to do with divided feet.

 

[Rick]

That is very cool Heather. It expands my comprehension considerably.

 

[Ron-NY]

now I have a better copy...thanks Heather!!!

the more common spelling of the latin term for sky blue is : coerulea

 

[Heather]

Mark's dictionary is great too.

I had no idea that pennsylvancium was the mid atlantic - I always figured it meant that it was originally found in or native to Pennsylvania. Same with virginicum (as in Mertensia virginiensis) very interesting!

 

[bwester]

Mark's dictionary is great too.

I had no idea that pennsylvancium was the mid atlantic - I always figured it meant that it was originally found in or native to Pennsylvania. Same with virginicum (as in Mertensia virginiensis) very interesting!

huh huh huh.... virgin.....
latin kicks ass

 

[SlipperFan]

Thanks, Heather. Very useful.

 

[NYEric]

As we used to say in latin class, " is ea id"

 

[DukeBoxer]

So is besseae pronounced ee-a or ee-aye. I have always thought of it as the first ee-a, but only hear ee-aye.

 

[rdlsreno]

Thanks for the informations!!

Ramon