List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names
Latin/Greek Language English Examples Search for titles containing the word or using the prefix :
caecus L blind blind mole , Talpa caeca ; northern eyed hawkmoth , Smerinthus caecus caecus - caeca - caecum
caeruleus L blue Eurasian blue tit , Cyanistes caeruleus ; blue passion flower , Passiflora caerulea caeruleus - caerulea - caeruleum
californicus L California California blue dorid , Felimare californiensis californicus - californica - californiensis
callosus L calloused large vesper mouse , Calomys callosus ; tree fern , Cyathea callosa ; orchid , Paphiopedilum callosum callosus - callosa - callosum
canadensis L from Canada bighorn sheep , Ovis canadensis canadensis - canadense
candidus L brightly white , shining white Madonna lily , Lilium candidum candidus - candida - candidum
canescens L turning grey- or white-haired Geraea canescens ( desert sunflower ) ; Atriplex canescens canescens
canis L dog coyote , Canis latrans ; Dipylidium caninum ( a tapeworm ) canis - caninus - canina - caninum
canus L gray ( haired ) , pale gray grey-headed woodpecker , Picus canus ; woolly groundsel , Senecio canus canus - cana - canum
caprae L of a goat Staphylococcus caprae caprae - capri
cauda L tail long-tailed tit , Aegithalos caudatus ; thintail skate , Dipturus leptocaudus ; northern short-tailed shrew , Blarina brevicauda
caulos G καυλός ( kaulós ) stem , stalk stemless gentian , Gentiana acaulis acaulis - acaule
cephalo- G κεφαλή ( kephalḗ ) head Mediterranean gull , Larus melanocephalus ; blue-spotted grouper , Cephalopholis argus All pages with titles beginning with Cephal
-ceps L caput head pygmy sperm whale , Kogia breviceps ; biceps ( two-headed muscle )
ceros L cornū G κέρας ( kéras ) horn narwal , Monodon monoceros ; rhinoceros ( nose horn )
cest L cestus G κεστός ( kestós ) girdle , belt , stitched Cestoda All pages with titles beginning with Cest
chaetes G χαίτη ( khaítē ) flowing hair , or mane wildebeest , Connochaetes gnou
chilensis L from Chile paradise tanager , Tangara chilensis chilensis - chilense
chinensis L from China China rose , Rosa chinensis ; Chinese onion , Allium chinense ; Chinese sumac , Rhus chinensis ; see also Sinense , below chinensis - chinense
chloro- G χλωρός ( khlōrós ) pale green common moorhen , Gallinula chloropus All pages with titles beginning with Chloro
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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. Although Latin is now largely unused except by classical scholars, or for certain purposes in botany, medicine and the Roman Catholic Church, 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).