List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names

This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants is largely derived from Latin and Greek words, as are some of the names used for higher taxa, such as orders and above. At the time when biologist Carl 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 common language of science, and scientific names were in Latin or Greek: Linnaeus continued this practice.

While learning Latin is now less common, it is still used by classical scholars, and for certain purposes in botany, medicine and the Roman Catholic Church, and it can still be found in scientific names. It is helpful to be able to understand the source of scientific names. Although 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 binomial name often reflects limited knowledge or hearsay about a species at the time it was named. For instance Pan troglodytes, the chimpanzee, and Troglodytes troglodytes, the wren, are not necessarily cave-dwellers.

Sometimes a genus name or specific descriptor is simply the Latin or Greek name for the animal (e.g. Canis is Latin for dog). These words may not be included in the table below if they only occur for one or two taxa. Instead, the words listed below are the common adjectives and other modifiers that repeatedly occur in the scientific names of many organisms (in more than one genus). Genus names each have a single grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. This gender may determine the spelling of adjectival species names within the genus.

Many adjectives vary in spelling according to gender, and in most cases only the lemma form (nominative singular masculine form) is listed here. 1st-and-2nd-declension adjectives end in -us (masculine), -a (feminine) and -um (neuter), whereas 3rd-declension adjectives ending in -is (masculine and feminine) change to -e (neuter). For example, verus is listed without the variants for Aloe vera or Galium verum. Among the various Nomenclatural codes, the practice of gender agreement is uniform in most respects, though the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature includes several unique provisions that allow fewer words to be considered adjectives than under other Codes, such as treating any compound name where at least one component is a noun as a "noun phrase", even if the other component (or the compound itself) is adjectival (e.g., the name leucocephalus is an adjective in botany, but a noun phrase in zoology, so only in the former case would the name change spelling to match the genus).

The second part of a binomial is often a person's name in the genitive case, ending -i (masculine) or -ae (feminine), such as Kaempfer's tody-tyrant, Hemitriccus kaempferi. The name may be converted into a Latinised form first, giving -ii and -iae instead.

Words that are very similar to their English forms have been omitted.

Some of the Greek transliterations given are Ancient Greek, and others are Modern Greek.

In the tables, L = Latin, G = Greek, and LG = similar in both languages.

A Latin/Greek Language English Example Search for titles containing the word or using the prefix: etc. G () thorny, spiny Acanthus plant; Parorchis acanthus, a flatwormMunida acantha, a squat lobster; prickly ceratina, Ceratina acanthaspiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias; Reinhardt's snake-eater, Polemon acanthiascotton thistle, Onopordum acanthium – – – G, Lstemless silver thistle, Carlina acaulis; dwarf date palm, Phoenix acaulis – actin-, G () ray, radial Schefflera actinophylla, Actinopterygii, Actinophryida – L sharpened, pointed American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus; angled sunbeam (butterfly), Curetis acuta; northern pintail, Anas acuta – – L prickly short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus; three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus; butcher's-broom, Ruscus aculeatus – – L sharp, pointed, tapering Jamaican gooseberry tree, Phyllanthus acuminatus; Panaeolus acuminatus, a mushroomcucumbertree, Magnolia acuminata; Musa acuminata, a banana treeacuminate barrenwort, Epimedium acuminatum; desert quandong, Santalum acuminatum – – Lsinged, burntside-striped jackal, Canis adustus;dark onyx cowry, Erronea adusta – – L equal common Atlantic grenadier, Nezumia aequalis; clay-coloured billbug, Sphenophorus aequalisTrogoxylon aequale, a beetle; Omophron aequale, a ground beetle – L summer summer asphodel, Asphodelus aestivus; rough green snake, Opheodrys aestivusturquoise-fronted amazon, Amazona aestiva; summer spider orchid, Caladenia aestivaLoddon lily, Leucojum aestivum; common wheat, Triticum aestivum – – L neighbouring, similar, kindred lesser scaup, Aythya affinis; dugite, Pseudonaja affinis blue tongue, Melastoma affine; Persian violet, Exacum affine – LAfrican reed cormorant, Microcarbo africanus;southern African frilled shark, Chlamydoselachus africana; African clubhook-squid, Notonykia africanae;pyjama shark, Poroderma africanum;lemon basil, Ocimum × africanum – , – L of the field, wild field vole, Microtus agrestis; green field-speedwell, Veronica agrestis – L winged pitcher plant, Nepenthes alata; sharpwing monkeyflower, Mimulus alatus; winged elm, Ulmus alata; winged everlasting, Ammobium alatum; winged loosestrife, Lythrum alatum; winged seahorse, Hippocampus alatus; winged-stem passion flower, Passiflora alata – – L white-headed blow fly, Chrysomya albiceps; moth, Syngamia albiceps; wood groundling, Parachronistis albiceps;

Mexican golden red rump tarantula, Brachypelma albiceps L white-toothed white-toothed brush mouse, Coccymys albidens; see also leucodon L , white handed Anopheles albimanus;Aulonia albimana, white-knuckled wolf spider;Habrocestum albimanum – – L painted white Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus;Moneilema albopictum – – L white white ibis, Eudocimus albus;white oak, Quercus alba;mistletoe, Viscum album – – L alpine; of the Alps alpine aster, Aster alpinus;alpine bearberry, Arctostaphylos alpina;alpine feverfew, Parthenium alpinum – – L lovable lovable lily, Lilium amabile;lovely cotinga, Cotinga amabilis; lovely fairywren, Malurus amabilis;lovely fir, Abies amabilis – L uncertain beautiful woolly sunflower, Eriophyllum ambiguum;doubtful cone, Conus ambiguus;questionable Stropharia, Stropharia ambigua;tick bush, Kunzea ambigua – – G () blunt, dull marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus – L American American black bear, Ursus americanus;American hazel nut, Corylus americana;American mastodon, Mammut americanum – – G () of all kinds, on all sides amphibian; Amphipoda L bottle, flask northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus – – – L from the Amur River Amur grape, Vitis amurensis – L from England Common cordgrass, Sporobolus anglicus; Bibio anglicus, a fly; English sundew, Drosera anglica; English whitebeam, Sorbus anglica; English stonecrop, Sedum anglicum – – L from Angola African teak, Pterocarpus angolensis – angustiflorus L narrow-flowered Eastwood's bellflower, Campanula angustiflora; narrowflower lupine, Lupinus angustiflorus – – angustifolius L narrow-leaved narrowleaf cottongrass, Eriophorum angustifolium; narrowleaf cottonwood, Populus angustifolia; narrowleaf sunflower, Helianthus angustifolius – – L narrow narrow-banded widow, Dingana angusta;narrowleaf pansy monkeyflower, Mimulus angustatus;slimleaf bean, Phaseolus angustissimus;Prairie acacia, Acaciella angustissima; sea snail, Vexillum angustissimum – – – – – – L of the southern hemisphere chinstrap penguin, Pygoscelis antarcticus; gummy shark, Mustelus antarcticus; brown skua, Stercorarius antarcticus – – anthos G () flower anthozoans, Anthozoa; golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha; G () man, human being Paranthropus L bee western honey bee, Apis mellifera; white sage, Salvia apiana – – – L found near water eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus;wild rice, Zizania aquatica; water spinach, Ipomoea aquatica;parrot's-feather, Myriophyllum aquaticum, – – L tree-like or shrub-like Artemisia arborescens; Aloe arborescens; Hydrangea arborescens G () ancient Archaeopteryx – arch-, archi-, , -archus G () ruler, leader, prince, highest, greatest Archidendron grandiflorum – – arctos G () bear grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis; common bearberry, Arctostaphylos – L sand sand iris, Iris arenaria; sand rock-cress, Arabidopsis arenosa; sand seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius; sand-dusted cone, Conus arenatus – – – – – arenicolus L sand-dwelling dunes sagebrush lizard, Sceloporus arenicolus; sand goldenrod, Solidago arenicola; sanddwelling dewberry, Rubus arenicola; sandy stargazer, Gillellus arenicola – L silvery European herring gull, Larus argentatus – – L silvery silver buffaloberry, Shepherdia argentea;silver tree, Leucadendron argenteum; silvery lupine, Lupinus argenteus; white mulberry, Pipturus argenteus – – L silver sea snail, Calliostoma argentum L living on clay clay Fiddler Crab, Minuca argillicola; Hullsia argillicola G () aromatic clove nutmeg, Ravensara aromatica; Croton aromaticus; clove, Syzygium aromaticum – – G () joint Arthropoda L in the field skylark, Alauda arvensis; field horsetail, Equisetum arvense – L Asian white-winged dove, Zenaida asiatica; Caspian plover, Charadrius asiaticus, Persian buttercup, Ranunculus asiaticus, Lanmaoa asiatica – L rough, uneven freckled dapperling, Echinoderma asperum; pied warty frog, Theloderma asperumprickly chaff flower, Achyranthes aspera; Papuan ground boa, Candoia aspera – , astero- G () star starfish (class), Asteroidea – L dull black common chuckwalla, Sauromalus ater; Eurasian coot, Fulica atra; black swan, Cygnus atratus; black yarrow, Achillea atrata; creek chub, Semotilus atromaculatus see also niger – – – – – L deep purple, blackish-purple Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum'; Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea; purple-flowered cotoneaster, Cotoneaster atropurpureus – – , L orange-colored bitter orange, Citrus aurantium – – ; – – L golden golden jackal, Canis aureus; Staphylococcus aureus (bacteria) see also chrysos – – L having (large) ears brown long-eared bat, Plecotus auritus; double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus; long-eared hedgehog, Hemiechinus auritusmoon jellyfish, Aurelia auritayerba santa, Piper auritum; blue eared pheasant, Crossoptilon auritum – – L southern southern right whale, Eubalaena australis –

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