Latin phrase

[Garland, Mark]

To be a little more detailed, the quote is probably a generalization of
aphorism 224 in Linnaeus's Critica Botanica (1737), later reprinted
under the same number in the Philosophia Botanica (1751):

"Nomina generica ab uno vocabulo plantarum generico fracto, altero
integro composita, Botanicis indigna sunt."

>From Stearn, Botanical Latin, quoting Hort's translation of the Critica
Botanica:  "'Generic names compounded of two words, one a piece of a
generic term for plants, and an entire word, are unworthy of botanists.'
Linnaeus accordingly rejected as generic names Anemone-Ranunculus,
Bellis-leucanthemum, Chenopodio-morus, Lilio-asphodelus and the like."

Your author has generalized this aphorism by omitting "plantarum" and
"Botanicis" so that the phrase now applies to any organism.

-- 
Mark A. Garland
Botany Section
Division of Plant Industry
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
P. O. Box 147100
Gainesville, Florida 32614-7100
(352) 372-3505 ext 402

Richard Petit wrote on Friday, May 06, 2005 9:10 AM:

> Thanks for your comments.  The second word is "generica" but it
> could, of course, be a typo in the review.  I appreciate your
> assistance, and also that of Paul van Rijckevorsel.  
> 
> The genus-group name referred to by the reviewer was Cyprovula, an
> error (not of the reviewer) for Cypraeovula a combination of the
> genus-group names Cypraea and Ovula. The intent seems to be that
> genus-group names should not be composed of (1) part of an existing
> genus name combined with another existing genus name, or (2)
> genus-group names should not be combined to form other genus-group
> names.      
> 
> Again, thanks for your help.
> 
> dick p.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephen C. Carlson" <scarlson at mindspring.com>
> To: "Richard Petit" <r.e.petit at WORLDNET.ATT.NET>; <>
> Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2005 9:28 PM
> Subject: Re: Latin phrase
> 
> 
>> At 07:39 PM 5/5/2005 -0400, Richard Petit wrote:
>>> In a review published in 1842 there is a Latin phrase stated by the
>>> writer to be a "Linnaean canon."  I would like to know where in
>>> Linnaeus' work it might be found and also what it means.  The phrase
>>> is: "Nomina generica ab uno vocabulo generica fracto altero integro
>>> composita, indigna sunt."
>> 
>> Should the second "generica" be "generico"?  If so, I think it means
>> something like "Genus names compounded from one (part) a broken genus
>> term, the other a whole (genus term), are improper."
>> 
>>> In context it appears to be a criticism of a genus-group name being
>>> formed by the combination of two other genus-group names but a word
>>> for word translation doesn't make much sense.
>> 
>> The "uno ... altero ..." construction does not map very cleanly to
>> English. 
>> 
>> Stephen Carlson
>> --
>> Stephen C. Carlson                       
>> mailto:scarlson at mindspring.com Weblog:                             
>> http://www.hypotyposeis.org/weblog/ "Poetry speaks of aspirations,
>> and songs chant the words."  Shujing 2.35