For those with a knowldge of Latin

[artme]

What does it mean??

I know about the parrots, beautiful little birds, but what does neophema actually mean??


Neo= new. New What????

[HOOKED.UP]

Not answering with any confidence,
I think it may mean "elegant".

There is probably a latin dictionary on the net if you Google the word. ?

Paul.

[FenceFurniture]

phema.......Phemius (Greek name), according to Kabalarian Philosophy:
"Your thinking revolves around business and ways of making money"

So neophema is "new money"

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Wasn't there a Greek goddess called Pheme? (Represented fame & reknown?)

[Mutawintji]

Even google iz scratchin its head ????

I thried Phema & Hema .... nil !!

[Sawdust Maker]

In my "Cassell's New Latin Dictionary" 3rd edition 1964 (so hardly new!)

neo = to spin: stamina, fila, esp. of the Parcae

[robbygard]

In my "Cassell's New Latin Dictionary" 3rd edition 1964 (so hardly new!)

neo = to spin: stamina, fila, esp. of the Parcae

1964 is probably quite late in terms of latin :P

david

[michael_m]

How about "new voice"?

I think my McDonald's Birds of Australia has the meaning of australian bird genera in it, but it's at work and I don't finish holidays until next week (and I'm not going back just to find out if I'm right or not!).

Does anyone have HANZAB? Originally the neophema parrots were in the genus Euphema, but were moved to the genus Neophema in the 1870s.

[robbygard]

How about "new voice"?

I think my McDonald's Birds of Australia has the meaning of australian bird genera in it, but it's at work and I don't finish holidays until next week (and I'm not going back just to find out if I'm right or not!).

Does anyone have HANZAB? Originally the neophema parrots were in the genus Euphema, but were moved to the genus Neophema in the 1870s.

euphemism is good-speech ... wonder whether it referred to talking parrots

regards david

[artme]

I did look p my sources before I posted and basically drew a blank.

What has been said is basically what I found but none of it seems
to fit.

I looked up my Readers Digest Australian birds book and it was as
useful as a hernia in regard to name origins or meanings.

[Optimark]

I understand Neo to be Greek and meaning new, not totally sure about phema, however that word was used in a book written about 85 years ago by Madame Curie I believe she used it as a technical name for the glowing material she and hubby discovered.

Marie Curie dubbed the effect Radioactivity and along the way discovered two new elements Polonium and Radium (after her mother country Poland)

Later on Einstein came along with a theory that the process was rocks converting mass into energy in an exceedingly efficient manner. Giving a new shine on the matter, so to speak. Madame Curie then wrote a paper using the word Neophema to describe her and hubby's discovery with Einstein's theory.

I'm using two books from memory here, one from Madame Curie and the other about Einstein. I have the Curie book (which is really a translation of papers she presented to her students) but the Einstein bit was from a book a friend owns and allowed me to read.

Mick.

Ps: I know nothing about the Greek language, by the way.

[ian]

What does it mean??

I know about the parrots, beautiful little birds, but what does neophema actually mean??


Neo= new. New What????

according to Jeff Kennet "trumped-up Corella"



According to Wikipedia:
The genus Neophema is an Australian genus with six or seven species. They are small parakeets with a more or less dull green basic color with some contrasting colorful patches, and are commonly known as grass parrots. The genus has some sexual dichromatism, males having more and brighter color patches.
There are 6 or 7 species:

• Blue-winged Parrot, Neophema chrysostoma
• Elegant Parrot, Neophema elegans
• Rock Parrot, Neophema petrophila
• Orange-bellied Parrot, Neophema chrysogaster
• Turquoise Parrot, Neophema pulchella
• Scarlet-chested Parrot, Neophema splendida

Depending on the author, Neopsephotus bourkii (Bourke's Parrot) may also be considered a member of this genus.
Sometimes the broad-tailed parrots are considered a subfamily. In this case, Neophema and Bourke's Parrot are united in the tribe Neophemini. mtDNA sequence data (Miyaki et al. 1998) suggests that the former may be correct, but the latter almost certainly isn't. Rather, it appears, the group would need to include more closely related forms, such as the budgerigar and the Pezoporus ground-parrots. However, while Joseph et al. (2011) also found Neophema to be related both Bourke's Parrot and ground-parrots and form part of the tribe Pezoporini, they're not related to the Budgerigar.



BUT perhaps Mick is on the money "neophema" refers to the parrots "glowing" maybe "glossy" apperance

or it could be a person's name

[ian]

after a bit more sleuthing

neophema = latinised Greek for "now I appear"

and possibly refers to the birds being hidden in their grass land habitate and suddenly appearing when disturbed.

[artme]

I guess either of the Meanings suggested by Ian and Mick make sense.

This has certainly proved itself to be a harder quest than I first thought.

Thanx to all for your efforts so far!!!

[Mr Brush]

I'd love to help, but most of the Latin I learned in school (UK) has evaporated over time. These days I'm good for a "Caecilius est in horto", and that's about it.

This phrase will probably ring bells with anyone that did school Latin in living memory......it seems the only set of Latin teaching aids produced was used worldwide !

I'd love to get a genuine Latin translation for our family motto "I Wouldn't Do That If I Were You", then I can add this to our coat of arms.