apatornis
|a-pa-tor-nis|
🇺🇸
/əˈpætərnɪs/
🇬🇧
/əˈpætɔːnɪs/
deceptive bird; extinct Cretaceous bird genus
Etymology
'Apatornis' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically from 'apátē' meaning 'deceit' and 'ornis' meaning 'bird', combined in New Latin for use as a taxonomic name.
'Apatornis' was coined in modern scientific (New Latin) nomenclature by combining Greek roots; it did not evolve through Old English but was created directly from classical elements for taxonomy.
The name originally literally meant 'deceptive bird' (from the Greek elements) and has been retained as a taxonomic name for the extinct genus rather than describing behavioral deceit.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of extinct prehistoric birds from the Late Cretaceous of North America, known from fragmentary fossil remains.
Apatornis is known from fragmentary remains found in Late Cretaceous deposits in North America.
Last updated: 2025/09/15 00:44