Some additional etymological information – Part I (1 Viewer)

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Here´s a first list of some small additional information regarding the Etymology of ten various Bird Names that I´ve happened to stumble upon trying to understand various Swedish Bird Names … for your sake (as well as I can?) in English.

As far as I understand the following birds commemorates the following persons (… and one geographical place):

No. 1 – princei in …
● Grey Ground-Thrush Zoothera princei SHARPE 1874: "This new species is dedicated to my old valued friend Mr. Edwin C. Prince, for more than forty years the faithful coadjutor of Mr. John Gould."
= the British naturalist and Secretary and business manager (to precisely John Gould): Edwin Charles Prince (1809–1874), born in London in 1809 ... died of bronchitis 1874 at his home in London, aged 65. More on him, see link (here).

No. 2 – zelebori in …
● The subspecies Pardirallus sanguinolentus zelebori PELZELN 1865.
= the Austrian, Ornithologist, Conchyologist, Master Joiner ("Tischlermeister"), Hunter and taxidermist: Johann Zelebor (1815–1861), born 5th December 1815, in Eggenburg, Niederösterreich, Austria … and died in 1869.

See Obituary: von Pelzeln, A. 1889. Zur Erinnerung an heimgegangene Ornithologen. "Die Schwalbe": Mittheilungen des Ornithologischen Vereines in Wien 13: 604- 606. (attached)

No. 3 – blewitti in …
● The recently rediscovered (1997) Forest Owlet (Athene) Heteroglaux blewitti HUME 1873 a k a "Blewitt's owl".
● the subspecies Perdicula erythrorhyncha blewitti HUME 1874.
= the almost unknown British collector: Francis Robert Blewitt (b. 1815), living in British India, at least until 1872/1873. Original descriptions, on both the Generic name Heteroglaux and "Blewitti" (as well as further discussion) on other Bird Forum thread (here).

The same "Mr. F. R. Blewitt" also procured the type specimen of the then unknown Bush Quail, described as "Microperdix Blewitti". See type description, in Stray Feathers 1874 (attached).

This Francis Robert Blewitt (that I think normally was called Robert) was the older brother to William Turnbull Blewitt (1816-1889) and Henry Blewitt (b. 1817), and (later on, in his father's second marriage) to his half-brothers Francis Colwell (b. 1827) and Thomas (b.1836). Not to be confused with his (or their) father (and namesake!) Francis Robert Blewitt (1787–1836), long gone by the time this first mentioned "F. R. Blewitt" shot both the little Owlet and the little Quail. They all were living in British India. In more detail, according to a List of Hume's correspondents, "F. R. Blewitt" lived in "Raipur, Jhansi". That´s about all I´ve been able to find on this man!

No. 4 – abdimii in …
● Abdim's Stork Ciconia abdimii LICHTENSTEIN 1823.
= the (fairly unknown among Ornithologist's, but fairly known among Colonial War Historians) Albanian officer: Mr. Abidin (about 1780–1827), whose full name nobody seem to know – a k a "Abidin Bey al-Arnaut" literarly written Ābidīn alt. Ābidīn Bey al-Arnā’ūt (and as if that wasn´t enough) a k a (in a multitude of various languages, interpretations and transcriptions, due to various spelling rules alt. traditions of how to treat and write Ariabian, as in this his "Arabic" name; "Abdin Bey al-Arnaut", "Bey El-Arnaut Abdim", "El Arnaut Abdim Beğ", "Bey-Abdim", "Abdim-bey" as well as just "Abdim beg" or "Abdim beğ"

… among friends and those who knew him as ”Abdi” (Ābdī) – Turkish-Egyptian Governor of Dongala in Egyptian Sudan, that was killed by (his own!) Turkish soldiers in an up-rising 1827 in the city of Manfalut on the Nile.

Is the abdimii simply a misinterpretation of his name (?) or could the the ending -mii part (in abdimii) have something to do with the Latin masculine vocative singular of the pronoun meus ("mine") … in relation to his "nick-name", what he was called; "Abdi" as in abdi-mi-i … ?! Me, not being a Latin scholar, just wonder: Is such a latinized combination even possible?

Homever: the two Germans Wilhelm Hemprich and Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg collected the type just outside Dongala in the summer of 1822. It was described, on their behalf (in litteris), by Lichtenstein 1823: "Habitat satis frequens mense Majo Junio ad Nilum prope Dongolam, a peregrinatoribus borussicis in honorem Abdimii Principis, qui a patre Mehemed Ali Nubiae provinciam tenet, hoe nomine insignita....".

Which one of the tree men that caused the misunderstanding of his actual name we´ll probably never know. And talking about his "name"; the Bey (sometimes, in various transcriptions to/from different langages also written beg or beğ) is a an honorary title (literally meaning "Mister" alt. "Master", but here; leader, chief or even "prince") and El-Arnaut simply means "the Albanian"!

No. 5 – lidthi in …
● Lidth's Jay Garrulus lidthi BONAPARTE 1850
= the Dutch professor: Theodoor Gerhard van Lidth de Jeude (1788–1863), often (in English) written as Theodore or latinized as Theodorus ….

I´ve found no confirmation of his sometimes claimed second first name "Willem" ... !?

No. 6 – apperti in …
● Appert's Greenbul (Phyllastrephus/Bernieria) Xanthomixis apperti COLSTON 1972 a k a "Appert's Tetraka".
= the Swiss Priest and catholic Missionary , Paleontologist, Zoologist and Collector: Otto Appert (1930–2012), who collected the type specimen there on the 4th of September 1962).

Otto Appert was born on 31 August 1930 in Zürich, Switzerland, and visited Madagascar repeatedly, between 1859 and 1988, when he returned to Switzerland for good. He died in Ruswill Switzerland on 29 May 2012. See: Langrand, O. 2013. Obituary Otto Appert 1930-2012 Bulletin of the African Bird Club 20 (1): 112-113.

No. 7 – adeliae in …
● Adelie Penguin Pygoscelis adeliae HOMBRON & JACQUINOT 1841 (a k a "Adélie Penguin")
= the French territory La Terre Adélie (Adélie Land), Antarctica – which is (in its turn) named after the Wife of the French Explorer Vicomte (viscount) Dumont d’Urville: Vicomtesse (viscountess) Adele (no accent either way) Dorothee Dumont d’Urville, born Perin (xxxx–1842), that died in a train crash (with her sons and more famous husband) on the 8th of May 1842.

On her Tombstone in the cemetery Cimetière Montparnasse in Paris it states "AGGEE DE 43" ("in the age of 43"). Not even her own family seem to know exactly when she was born!? (See attached jpg)

No. 8 – anchietae in …
● Anchieta's Sunbird Anthreptes anchietae BOCAGE 1878.
= the Portuguese explorer, naturalist and collector José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta (1832–1897), that collected in Angola and Mozambique for more than 30 years – until his death in Malaria. He collected the type specimen in 1877, Southwest Angola.

The same Anchieta is also (according to various sources, I haven´t checked them) commemorated in:
● Anchieta's Barbet (Buccanodon) Stactolaema anchietae BOCAGE 1869.
● Anchieta's Tchagra (Tchagra/Antichromus) Bocagia (minuta/minutus) anchietae BOCAGE 1869.
● the subspecies (Phoeniculus) Rhinopomastus aterrimus anchietae BOCAGE 1892.

Not to be confused with the much earlier Spanish Priest José de Anchieta (1534–1597) a k a "the Apostle of Brazil" (which is done a lot, on the Internet, especially regarding Pictures of him!).

No. 9 – bartletti in …
● Bartlett's Tinamou Crypturellus bartletti SCLATER & SALVIN 1873.
● subspecies (Polyerata) Amazilia lactea bartletti GOULD 1866.
= the relatively unknown British Ornithologist, taxidermist, traveler and collector and later Museum administrator Edward Bartlett (1844–1908), that discovered and collected (quite a few specimens, incl. the Type) of the Tinamou in Peru. The same "E. Bartlett" also collected 7 specimens (incl. the Type) of this subspecies.

Not to be confused with his much more well-known father Abraham Dee Bartlett (1812–1897), that probably, most likely (!) is the one commemorated in the extinct (at least in the Wild) sub-species "Bartlett's Bleeding-heart " Gallicolumba crinigera bartletti SCLATER 1863.

No. 10 – Malimbe and Malimbus in …
● All different Malimbe's, as well as the Generic name Malimbus VIEILLOT 1805, origins from specific name "Le Tangara de Malimbe" firstly described as "Tanagra malimbica" (today Crested Malimbe Malimbus malimbicus DAUDIN 1802): " …à Malimbe, ville du royaume de Congo, sur la côte dʼAfrique ..."
= the small village Malimbe (probably equal of today's Malembo, with roughly 500 inhabitants) on the Northern Coast of Angola

Anyone of a different view?

Björn Bergenholtz, Stockholm, Sweden

PS. And, just for the fun of it … attached is a photo of No. 1: Mr. Prince!

 

[JustinJansen]

No 5, also did not located Willem in all the searches I did.
No 10, frequently Malimbe is used by Levaillant, might be a trail....

 

[l_raty]

Me, not being a Latin scholar, just wonder: Is such a latinized combination even possible?

I doubt it. (But note that the Code makes spellings that are incorrect Latin, correct... So in practice everything is "possible" in a name.)

"Habitat satis frequens mense Majo Junio ad Nilum prope Dongolam, a peregrinatoribus borussicis in honorem Abdimii Principis, qui a patre Mehemed Ali Nubiae provinciam tenet, hoc nomine insignita....".

FWIW: "Inhabits Dongola, quite frequent in the month of May-June near the Nile, made known under this name by the Prussian travellers in honour of Abdimius Princeps, who holds the province of Nubia from pater Mehemed Ali.
"Abdimius Princeps", or "Prince Abdimius", might probably be translated simply as "Abdim Bey".
"pater Mehemed Ali" literally is "father Mehemed Ali", but I presume "pater" is used here in the meaning of "chief" or "lord"...? Might probably be translated as "Muhammad Ali Pasha".

Vicomtesse (viscountess) Adele (no accent either way) Dorothee Dumont d’Urville, born Perin

In French, you really need the accents, I'm afraid: "Adèle Dorothée". (But note that they are often omitted on upper-case letters, as on this tombstone).
I think her maiden name was Pépin.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

In French, you really need the accents, I'm afraid: "Adèle Dorothée". (But note that they are often omitted on upper-case letters, as on this tombstone).
I think her maiden name was Pépin.

Laurent, I guess you´re right. As usual! See link (here)!

 

[PScofield]

I am interested HOMBRON & JACQUINOT's intentions in naming Pygoscelis adeliae.

The original description is not entirely clear. It definately says "Habite les glace de la terra Adéliae" but that doesn't necessarily indicate the intention of the authors.

I understood that the -iae ending in Latin indicted a female honorific and a common ending for places would be -ēnsis so perhaps this would mean that the species was named after Adèle not Terra Adèliae?

If so the correct English name would be Adèle's Penguin?

Paul

 

[PScofield]

Incidentally Adèle Dorothée PÉPIN was born on 10 May 1798 in Toulon (Archives Toulon 380/783)

 

[carmelbird]

I understood that the -iae ending in Latin indicted a female honorific and a common ending for places would be -ēnsis so perhaps this would mean that the species was named after Adèle not Terra Adèliae?

The -iae ending for place names is common, I believe. For example, novaehollandiae for Nova Hollandia (= Australia).

In this case, the authors are naming the species after the place, which in turn happens to be named for a person.

 

[PScofield]

Carmelbird you make a good point but thinking about this a bit more I think a lot of the etymological accuracy of early scientific names comes down to the lack of rules inherent in early 19th C and late 18th C nomenclature and indeed in the degree of classical education that the actual authors possessed. In Hombron and Jacqinot’s case they were both well versed in the classics and they seem to have understood the accepted meanings of these Latin suffixes.

Thus names they authored include:
samoensis
rugensis
aroubiensis
hogoleuensis


They were not in the habit of using honorifics but when they did they seem to have used the gender specific suffix i.e. Cacatura ducorpsi.

In the case of novaehollandiae the bulk of authors that used this combination were prior to 1830. In the early 1830s early naturalists seemed to have begun a discussion about the correct application of names (i.e. Jennings, J. 1830. On the Nomenclature of Natural History, and particularly on the Anomalous Nomenclatures of Ornithology. The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle 100 (1): 416-419.).

In many cases the true intentions of these early authors may never been known but I increasingly feel that the idea that Pygoscelis adeliae is a toponym seems to be without any definite evidence I am aware of.

 

[carmelbird]

In many cases the true intentions of these early authors may never been known but I increasingly feel that the idea that Pygoscelis adeliae is a toponym seems to be without any definite evidence I am aware of.

Original description here. Note that the authors give the French name as "Gorfou d'Adélie" (= Adélie Penguin). If they were directly naming the species after Adèle Dumont d’Urville, I would expect this name to read "Gorfou d'Adèle" (= Adèle's Penguin). The type locality statement ("Habite les glaces de la terre Adélie") makes it clear enough that "Adélie" as used by them refers to the place.

For their common name to commemorate one thing, and the scientific name another, would seem to me unlikely in this case. All other common/scientific name combinations in Hombron & Jacquinot's article are pretty much direct translations of French into Latin and vice versa (e.g. Échasse noire – Himantopus melas, Harle austral – Mergus australis, etc.).

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Thanks, "carmelbird" & "PScofield"

And welcome to the "Etymologist's Club"!

I will, on my behalf, stick to the "la terre Adélie"-Etymology for the Penguin ... (and for the Land itself, Adélie Land, Antarctica, in its turn: Adèle Dorothée Dumont d’Urville, born Périn) [Laurent, with accents! ]

Incidentally Adèle Dorothée PÉPIN was born on 10 May 1798 in Toulon (Archives Toulon 380/783)

"PScofield", are you 100% sure it´s her? And not any namesake? Could you, maybe, add a link to that source? I don´t say your´e wrong, it sure looks that way ... I just want to make sure.

Note: I don´t have any clue of how common that name is in France.

 

[njlarsen]

Björn, in your last post you still have a Périn/Pépin dichotomy.

Niels

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Well spotted Niels!

And yes, I know ... till we´ve deleted all doubts I will trust the "PERIN" (i. e. Périn) spelling on her grave. Tombstones are usually correct, but far from always(!), and since the remaining members of the Dumont d’Urville Family seem to have had no knowledge of her birth, its quite possible they were´nt fully updated on her Maiden name as well. This meaning; this one´s ... "on hold" for now ...

Lets see if "PScofield" replies and if we can study his source, and compare it with the sources claiming "Pépin".

But I do agree it looks in favour of "Pépin".

Cheers!

 

[mb1848]

On Malimbe 10. German Wikipedia says that the village Malembo Angola was in the 1930s by the Portuguese colonialists established and is not to be confused with the historic place Malembo (malimba). From the 15th century this was the capital of the Kingdom of Kakongo , the later the Kingdom of Congo belonged. After its destruction Malembo fell temporarily to the Netherlands and was slave port of shipment, after 1700 witnessed the Cabinda region through the trade Portuguese, English, and French vessels a flower.

 

[PScofield]

Björn

My Source was the families geneological website:

http://gw.geneanet.org/garric?lang=fr&p=adele&n=pepin

It would appear that Adèles father Jean was a maker of marine chronometers which may be where Jules met her.

I might surmise that the tombstone error may be due to the fact that after the train crash there were no members of the immediate family in Paris that either knew Madame d'Urvilles family nor her lineage.

Incidentally the Meudon crash that killed Dumont D'Urville and his family was the first rail disaster in France and one earliest worldwide. On 8 May 1842 , a train from Versailles to Paris derailed in a rail cutting near Bellevue Meudon. Following the derailment there was a large fire. The accident killed 55 people.

Paul

 

[l_raty]

There is no question that the penguin was named after "Adélie", not after "Adèle"--both in French ("Gorfou d'Adélie"), and in Latin (Adeliae, not Adelae). Thus the problem boils down to what/who "Adélie" may denote... Unfortunately, there are two possibilities, with opposite consequences:
(1) it might be a diminutive of Adèle, that d'Urville used to call his wife; and
(2) it might be a name that he forged from his wife's name, by addition of the substantival suffix "-ie" denoting country/land names (as in, eg., "Colombie" from Christopher Columbus, "Bolivie" from Simon Bolivar, "Géorgie" from King George II, etc.).
In the first case, only "terre Adélie" should be read as referring to the land, and the bird might probably be regarded as named after d'Urville's wife; in the second, "Adélie" always and only refers to the land, and the bird is clearly named after it... No idea which is correct.


The act of their marriage (1 May 1815) can be seen here: go to view #63/158, it's on the right-hand page. (But the handwriting is not exactly an easy read... Blue ink scanned in shades of grey?)
I think:
"Mlle Adèle Dorothée Pepin, âgée de seize ans et demi, née à Toulon, département du Var, le vingt du mois de floréal an six."
"Miss Adèle Dorothée Pepin, sixteen and a half years old, born in Toulon, department of Var, on the 20th of the month of Floreal year VI."
This would be on 9 May 1798. (For conversion of Republican calendar dates see, eg., this; 10 May 1798 might then be the date of her act of birth...?)

(In fact, I'm not at all fully convinced that the writing on the tombstone really says "PERIN". The right "leg" of this "R" seems less well marked than in the other instances of the same letter on the stone, and it is at an angle that does not appear fully identical. A scratch on the stone?)

 

[PScofield]

l_raty, Your first suggestion is interesting:

A search on Google Books indicates several used of the diminutive Adélie (perhaps for Adèle) including several that are contemporaneous:

This one is relevant

"Adélie, ou Une mère et sa fille, comédie en 1 acte et en prose" dated 1802 by the Napoleonic artist Jean-Baptiste Verzy a favourite of Napoleon .

Furthermore Adélie is (or was) the French name for the flower genus Adelia.

Furthermore Adelia comes from the Greek words α (a), meaning "not", and δήλος (delos), meaning "visible." which some might imagine the ideal of Napoleonic womanhood...

Paul

 

[mb1848]

Completely off topic is the fact that because of the horrible crash Jules Dumont d'Urville's remains were identified only because Dr. Dumoutier from the Astrolab had made a plaster bust of Jules as part of his phrenology studies.
http://eyecontactsite.com/2010/06/phrenology-in-the-pacific . CSI Versailles.

 

[l_raty]

Adélie is certainly used as a diminutive of Adèle (as well as a variant name in its own right). The obvious caveat being that I don't know if Dumont d'Urville used it in practice for his wife.
The origin of the given name seems however entirely different from that of the plant name, as it comes from old Germanic adal, meaning noble (edel=noble/adel=nobility, in both modern German and Dutch; modern English apparently lost it, but it was aethel in old English, which persists in the form of the given name Ethel).

(Soudry, 1886, who based herself on the journal of Louis Lebreton, a nephew of Dumont d'Urville who was on the Astrolabe, attributed these words to Dumont d'Urville:
"Cette vaste terre inhabitable aux hommes, va porter un nom français, un nom qui m'est cher entre tous! celui de mon admirable compagne! Messieurs! saluons « l'Adélie! » hommages à Mme d'Urville!....."
"This vast land, uninhabitable to men, will bear a French name, a name that is dear amongst all to me! that of my admirable wife! Gentlemen! let's greet « the Adélie! » tribute to Mrs. d'Urville!....."
This use of "l'Adélie" alone for the land would suggest option 2 to me: l'Adélie = the land of Adèle. Unfortunately, the dialogues in this work are undoubtedly largely fictive, and this detail might easily not be genuine.
In d'Urville's own publications, I only find "terre Adélie". But of course these texts were also certainly re-worked before being published, and they might not reflect his very first use of the name.)

Laurent -

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Continuation of the Adélie (Land) Penguin …

Thanks, Paul and Laurent!

I think the commemoration of the Penguin itself is clear, but the "side-track" (i. e. Bird-name-off-topic) regarding Adélie Land (Terre Adélie) is yet not fully solved.

I think we´re on the right track, I got led astray by her tombstone. The Land (not the Penguin) was named after Adèle … whose Maiden name was "Pepin", "Pépin" or "Pepín"!?

Thanks Paul, and it got even better! Now we´ve got a picture, a stamp, of Mrs. Adèle! (attached) Good one! But I still wonder of the exact spelling of her Maiden name …

And Laurent, doesn´t that note of their Marriage actually say "Pepìn" (with the accent over i) instead of Pepin (alt. Pépin)? And if so; what about the "Cap Pépin"? And even further down the "off-topic-lane": Was her fathers name "Jean M. Pépin" or "Joseph Marie Pépin"? ... "horloger de la Marine à Toulon" ...

Is there any way to find any official documents of her birth: "Née le 10 mai 1798 (jeudi) - TOULON 83"? Paul, "(Archives Toulon 380/783)" …?

 

[l_raty]

And Laurent, doesn´t that note of their Marriage actually say "Pepìn" (with the accent over i) instead of Pepin (alt. Pépin)? And if so; what about the "Cap Pépin"? And even further down the "off-topic-lane": Was her fathers name "Jean M. Pépin" or "Joseph Marie Pépin"? ... "horloger de la Marine à Toulon" ...

Is there any way to find any official documents of her birth: "Née le 10 mai 1798 (jeudi) - TOULON 83"? Paul, "(Archives Toulon 380/783)" …?

Here -- go to (indeed ) view #380/783, left-hand page. (I had briefly looked for it yesterday, not hard enough it seems.)
The date of the act of birth is 22 Floreal year VI, the birth itself is said to have been on the 20th of the same month at 3 in the morning.
20 Floreal year VI is 09 May 1798.

The father is "Jean Marie Pepin, horloger patenté" in both documents.

I think I see an accent over the e of "Pépin" in Adèle's signature at the bottom of the act or marriage, but everywhere else it is lacking. The accent is also lacking in "Adele" in her act of birth; in the text of the act of marriage, her name is written once "Adèle", once "Adele"; her signature has an accent there as well.

(The only accent that is possible over i in French is the circumflex. If you check all the other i's in the act of marriage, you'll see that many have a dot that looks like that of Pepin; for me, this must be how the person who filled the form wrote his/her i's.
Incidentally, many accents are lacking on usual words, both in the act of birth, and in the handwritten part of the act of marriage. The printed form, OTOH, as far as accents are concerned, seems conform to what I would write today.)