Latin -Reply

[Yuri P. Nekrutenko]

On 22 March Lynn Raw wrote:
>   Hi,
>   I noticed your erudition in Latin from your comments on Taxacom.
>   I wondered if you could perhaps assist me with a problem that I
>   encountered.
>
>   This is the generic name Phumanola Gray 1865 for a genus of
>   chameleons. The suffix -cola means "living in" or "dweller" and this may
>   have something to do with "living in Phuma" but I can't find anything
>   which would confirm this.

    Hi,
     "living  in  Phuma"  or "Phuma  dweller"   will be "Phumacola", gender
    masculine (see   also Code  Art. 30  (a) (i)  example).  In  this  case
    "-nola" exactly shows deminutive of Phuma. The origin (and  meaning) of
    this word, if not a word of other (non Latin) language or  an arbitrary
    combination of letters, may be a result of incorrect spelling of  Latin
    "fumarium" >   "fumariolum" (why  not   "smoked'?), or, less  pleasant,
    Greek  "phyma" -  suppurative   imflammation, abscess.  However,  since
    derivation  (etymology) is  not   originally stated, all above is to be
    considered as a tentative explanation only.

    Best regards. - Yuri.

Dr. Yuri P. Nekrutenko
Institute of Zoology
UA-252601 Kiev 30, MSP
U K R A I N E
ypnekrut at mbat.freenet.kiev.ua