non-psittacine
|non-psit-ta-cine|
🇺🇸
/nɑnˈsɪtəkɪn/
🇬🇧
/nɒnˈsɪtəkɪn/
not parrot-like
Etymology
'non-psittacine' is a Modern English formation combining the prefix 'non-' (a productive negative prefix meaning 'not') with 'psittacine' (from Modern Latin 'psittacinus', relating to parrots).
'psittacine' ultimately comes from Greek 'psittakos' meaning 'parrot', via Latin 'Psittacus' and Modern Latin 'psittacinus'; the adjective 'non-psittacine' is a more recent, descriptive English compound formed by adding the negative prefix 'non-' to 'psittacine'.
Initially the root terms referred specifically to 'parrot' (Greek 'psittakos'); over time 'psittacine' became the taxonomic/adjectival form meaning 'pertaining to parrots', and 'non-psittacine' simply negates that, meaning 'not pertaining to parrots'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a bird that is not a member of the Psittaciformes (i.e., not a parrot or closely related species).
Most observers recorded non-psittacines rather than parrots during that winter survey.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
not relating to or characteristic of the order Psittaciformes (parrots, parakeets and related birds).
The field guide divided birds into psittacine and non-psittacine species for easier identification.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/26 06:28