LATIN 183 
Latin Glossary of Bryophyte Terms 
The Latin that follows is essentially a translation of the English version of the vocabulary. It is 
not based on a deliberate history of the usage of the Latin words in the study of bryology. The 
Latin offered here may be of more assistance in the writing of Latin diagnoses and 
descriptions of taxonomic novelties than in translating Latin texts from years gone by. 
Nouns are capitalized. 
The nominative singular spelling and the genitive singular ending are given first for each 
noun: Caespes,-itis indicates that Caespes is the nominative singular and Caespitis is the 
genitive singular. This is to clarify the stem to which variable endings are attached, as is 
especially characteristic of Third Declension nouns. Occasionally the genitive singular is 
spelled out entirely. 
Several words in an entry not separated by punctuation marks, indicate that a phrase in 
English is being translated, or a word in English is being translated by a phrase in Latin. Each 
word is followed by an indication of its case or part of speech. The adjective form in the 
nominative singular is given appropriately as to the gender of the noun modified, for example, 
"helical segmentation sequence," is rendered: Segmentationis (gen. s-: Segmentatio) 
Sequentia,-ae (s.f. I) helica (adj. A), indicating that Segr ionis is the genitive singular of 
the word Segmentatio, that Sequentia is a singular feminine noun of the first declension and 
that helica is an A adjective (helicus,-a,-um). Since this adjective modifies "Sequentia" the 
feminine singular nominative form is given: helica. 
Certain words for which I could find no reference, such as Pneumathode, I have created on 
the basis of existing analogies, mostly taken from the works of Stearn and Jackson: 
Pneumatodium, or -thodium, from the example of Phyllode-Phyllodium, Staminode- — 
Staminodium. It must also be borne in mind that these may not be the only possible Latin 
renderings of the English words listed here. 
m -zo or -zoo * -oid. I have 
tid (Chromatidium) and 
by meaning or part of 
Antherozoid and Spermatozoid are considered here to derive fro 
added the Neolatin suffix -ium on superficial analogy with Chroma 
Spermatid (Spermatidium). The endings -oid, and -id are not related 
Speech, and the ending -idium is not relevant here. 
Words ending in -cyte, deriving from the Greek word kutos, "a hollow vessel suchas — 
Androcyte, Elaterocyte, Phylacooyte, are rendered as feminine words of the inopem 
according to the Neolatin form -cyta reported in Webster's Third International Dictionary 
(1976): hence Androcyta, Elaterocyta, etc. 
Recently an article appeared in Taxon (Nicolson, 1987) where, without exactly saying e Latin 
adjectives ending in - colus,-a,-um were treated as invalid, spparentiy lor e rene ien 
noun-compounds already exist in classical Latin, ending in - cola;ae (sc. D. sanitate 
