10
votes
Origin of the suffix in hippocampus
You’re right that there is no relation between ‘sea-monster’ and ‘plain, field’ – the confusion is entirely due to how Wiktionary links function.
Κάμπος on the ground
It is important to note ...
9
votes
Is it "species of plural" or "species of singular"?
As mentioned in Jesse Ivy's answer, "species" is of course a plural form as well as a singular form. In expressions like "many species of moths", "several species of moths", "various species of moths",...
- 84.5k
8
votes
Accepted
What is a product called that everyone gets no matter what?
You might be looking for the word staple, which has many definitions but the relevant one here is:
a commodity for which the demand is constant
- 563
7
votes
Accepted
Term pertaining to, similar to, or traits of Fish
Piscine
adjective
of, relating to, or resembling a fish.
(Collins English Dictionary.)
Or fishlike:
Having some characteristics of a fish.
Similar to that of a fish; as, fishlike scales, ...
- 68.1k
5
votes
Term pertaining to, similar to, or traits of Fish
Perhaps you could use:
ichthyic
Of, relating to, or characteristic of fishes.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
Not sure how widely used or understood the term is, though.
...
- 13k
4
votes
Pronotum: meaning and suffix context?
Janus Bahs Jacquet left a comment pointing out that νῶτον exists as an independent word in Greek (a neuter noun) with the meaning "back". See the linked LSJ entry for further details. A ...
- 84.5k
4
votes
Pronotum: meaning and suffix context?
In a comment, someone said:
Oxford Dictionaries (now Lexico) say notum (which exists as a stand-alone word as well, without the pro-) is from Greek νῶτον referring to the back. So the notum is a ...
4
votes
Accepted
Is there a version of “equine/equestrian”, or any other horse-related word, for a pegasus/pegasi?
Pegasean
Yes, there is! That word is the adjective Pegasean. The OED gives it the following sense:
Of, relating to, or characteristic of Pegasus. Also: resembling Pegasus, esp. in his capacity for ...
- 137k
4
votes
Is it "species of plural" or "species of singular"?
Good question. The word species is both singular and plural. To complicate things, the singular refers to a group of creatures with similar characteristics. So they are all correct, but mean different ...
- 520
3
votes
What is a product called that everyone gets no matter what?
Necessities. Cambridge Dictionary defines "necessity" in part as "something that you need, especially in order to live".
A related phrase is "the bare necessities" which ...
- 10.9k
3
votes
Residual soil or surplus soil
Consider three words:
Cambridge
Residual:
remaining after most of something has gone
Cambridge
Surplus:
an amount that is more than is needed
Merriam Webster
Leftover:
something that remains unused ...
- 29k
3
votes
Accepted
Of the Same Genera or Genus?
Genera is a plural noun; it's used as the plural of the singular genus. Since any single species only belongs to one genus, the sentence you quote ("It is best not to keep [it] with fish of the same ...
- 84.5k
2
votes
Pronotum: meaning and suffix context?
What is the coinage pronotum supposed to mean?
It helps if you understand what the pronotum is.
The insect thorax has three segments, each with a leg pair and the second and third typically with ...
- 17k
2
votes
Residual soil or surplus soil
The most common term is excess soil. This can apply to soil that is reused on the same site, or hauled off. Surplus soil is also a common term, but is more strongly associated with soil that is sold ...
- 17k
1
vote
Group of words that form a hierarchy?
If I understand you correctly, you do not want a single term that simply gets modified (by "sub"/"super", by a number, etc.) but instead want a set of entirely distinct terms. ...
- 7,930
1
vote
What is a product called that everyone gets no matter what?
Inelastic, meaning:
Lacking flexibility or resilience; unyielding
Economics: relatively unresponsive to changes, as demand when it fails to increase in proportion to a decrease in price. Compare ...
- 11
1
vote
Residual soil or surplus soil
Where I live (upstate NY), at least, this would be called "clean fill," which can be used in other construction projects which require soil to fill some spaces and gaps. You'll see signs ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
Residual soil or surplus soil
Surplus is the right word as shown for example here on this Canadian government website.
There they refer to surplus earthwork material which includes more than just soil. I think the potential ...
- 92
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