ornithophily
/ˌɔːrnɪˈθɑːfɪli/noun
Pollination of flowering plants by birds
From Greek ornitho- (Bird).
Lineage
ornitho-
-phily
Selected stage
Modern English
ornithophily — Pollination of flowering plants by birds
The story
Ornithophily is pollination by birds. Its first element, English ornitho-, comes from the Ancient Greek stem órnith- (ὄρνιθ-), the stem of órnis, “bird.” The ending -phily comes from Ancient Greek philía (φιλία), “fraternal love”; in botanical terms, the suffix can mean pollination by a particular group. Together, the parts name the transfer of pollen by birds. The term is used for bird pollination, an association found in flowering plants around the world.
Words from the same roots
ornitho- · Ancient Greek, ‘Bird; of or pertaining to birds’
Derivedornithology, ornithophobia, ornithophilia, ornithophagous
-phily · Ancient Greek, ‘Love, liking, tendency toward; in botany, pollination by’
Derivedbibliophily, entomophily, anthophily, zoophily
Sources
- Wikipediaornithophily
- Wiktionaryornithophily, ornitho-, -phily