A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Ops, gen.sg. opis:

1. Latin: Ops, gen.sg. opis (s.f.III), abl. sg. ope, nom. & acc. pl.opes, gen. pl. opum: might, power, ability; means, help, support, aid, resource; see inops, gen.sg. inopis (adj.B), weak, meager;

- ope (abl.sg.): by means of, with the aid of + gen.

- frutex ope cirrhorum scandens, shrub with the aid of tendrils climbing [ope, abl. sg.; cirrhorum, gen. pl.] (Stearn)

- motus ciliarum ope, movement by means of cilia.

- semina ope animalium dispersa, seeds with the aid of animals dispersed.

- aculeis vix oculo armato manifestis at ope microscopii compositi perspicuis, with pricles hardly evident to the eye equipped [with a lens] but with the aid of a compound microscope quite clear (Stearn).

- multiplicatio vegetativa divisione cellularum, propagatio agamica zoosporarum ope, generatio sexualis zoogametarum ope, vegetative multiplication by division of the cells, agamic propagation by means of zoospores, sexual generation by means of zoogametes (Stearn).

- Ficoideae connexae sunt ope Adenogrammatis cui ovarium 1-loculare ovulo basilari, the Ficoideae are connected by the support of Adenogramma whose ovary is 1-loculare with a basal ovule.

- caudex erectus vel ope uncorum longissime scandens, trunk erect or with the aid of barbs very longly scandent.

- iodi ope azurescens, turning blue with the aid of iodine.

- jodi ope azurescens (caerulescens, cyanescens), staining blue with iodine.

- semina per fissuram ope funiculi filiformis pendula, (B&H), the seeds through a fissure pendulous with the aid of a filiform funiculus.

- [Alleluchieae] tubus spathae ope dilatationis spadicis clausus v. in loculos 2 divisus (B&H), the tube of the spathe, by the force of the expansion of the spadix closed or divided into 2 locules.

- rhizomate tuberoso v. elongato rarissime repente, nunc fruticosa caulibus sympodialibus ope radicum scandentibus (B&H), with the rhizome tuberous or elongate, very rarely creeping, sometimes shrubby with the stem sympodial, climbing with the support of the roots.

- hujus ope, íncolae, climatis torridi calori expositi, sitim non raro commodeque exstinguunt (Swartz), by means of this, the inhabitants [i.e. natives] exposed to the heat of a torrid [i.e. parching] climate, not uncommonly completely extinguish [i.e. quench] their thirst.

2. Greek: Ops, gen.sg. opis (s.f.III), eye, face, countenance [> Gk. ops (omega), gen.sg. opos (omega) (s.f.III), the eye, face, countenance (Liddell & Scott); the gender is feminine];

NOTE: -ops,-opis (s.m.III) is not an i-stem noun (no gen.pl. –ium) (it is not parisyllabic; not monosyllabic with stem ending in two consonants (as in stirps); neither is it like Latin ‘animal’ (s.n.III) and other neuters).

NOTE: for endings in -opus, see -pus,-podis (s.m.III).

NOTE: the adj. inops,-opis (adj.B), ‘weak, meager,’ relates to ops, gen.sg. opis (s.f.III) sensu (1), q.v.

NOTE: Brachycladium chilopse = neuter of –opsis,-e (adj.C).

NOTE: for endings in -opus, see -pus,-podis (s.m.III).

NOTE: Chamaerops,-ropis (s.f.III), L., abl.sg. Chamaerope: > Gk. chamai, on the ground, + rhops [s.f.III], a twig; alluding to the low growth of the plants. Palmaceae. (Paxton); Chamaerops L., ‘dwarf bush’ (Bailey); also Nannorhops,-opis (s.f.III); see rhops-, also rops-: in Gk. comp.

  Ops, gen.sg. opis (s.f.III): eye, face    Lithops,-opis (s.f.III)

      singular     plural                    singular     plural
Nom.   -ops        -opes                    Lithops    Lithopes
Gen.   -opis       -opum                    Lithopis   Lithopum
Dat.   -opi        -opibus                  Lithopi    Lithopibus
Acc.   -opem       -opes                    Lithopem   Lithopes
Abl.   -ope        -opibus                  Lithope    Lithopibus

NOTE: the stem ends in only one consonant.

    singular    plural
Nom. cyclops   cyclopes    Cyclops, “a round eye”  adj. cyclopean
Gen. cyclopis  cyclopum            > Gk. cyclos, circle + ops, eye.
Dat. cyclopi   cyclopibus
Acc. cyclopem  cyclopes
Abl. cyclope   cyclopibus

The gender in botanical names (nouns, genera) ending in -ops may be masculine, feminine, or neuter according to the gender assigned by the author (see quote below).

- balanops,-opis, resembling an acorn; chlorops,-opis, with a green face or eye; chrysops,-opis, with golden face or eyes; cyclops,-opis, with a circular eye, face; echinops,-opis with the appearance of a hedgehog; glaucops,-opis, with a glaucous face or eye; ionops,-opis, with a violet-colored face, eye, spot; kelainops,-opis, black-faced, swarthy; lithops,-opis, appearing like a stone; megalops,-opis, with a large eye (spot, face); melanops,-opis, with black eye; microps,-opis, with a small face, eye; penelops,-opis, bearing a resemblance to a water-bird; taurops,-opis, bull-faced.

[zoology] Thymops,-opis, the Patagonian lobsterette.

NOTE: kalykOpis,-idos (s.f.III): like a budding flower in face, i.e. blushing, roseate (Liddell & Scott) > Gk. kalyks,-ykos (s.f.III): cup or calyx of a flower (Liddell & Scott) + Ops, face.

NOTE: tauropos,-opis, bull-faced > Gk. taurOpos,-on (Gk. adj., bull-faced > Gk. tauros, bull + Ops, face; bull-faced; epithet of Isis (or Artemis) in Samothrace.

Note: these epithets are treated as nouns in apposition and declined like third-declension nouns (with abl.sg. in –e, gen.pl. in –um.

[zoology] Thymops,-opis, the Patagonian lobsterette.

Alyssum thymops, perhaps from the plant’s resemblance to Thyme.

Aithiops,-opis: ‘burnt face;’ a reference to Ethopia (Africa); aethiops is also a form of cinnabar (mineral); Andropogon sorghum subvar. Aethiops.

Phaenops,-opis, ‘bright eyed;’ [zoology] (s.f.III), a genus of beetles.

NOTE: Melanopsidium,-ii (s.n.II), from melanos, black + Psidium,-ii (s.n.II) the guava (Myrtaceae)

Genera:

FEM. Aegilops,-opis (s.f.III), abl.sg. Aegilope, Linn. Goat's eye. “Supposed to be useful for a disease of one corner of the eye, hence the name. Gramineae” (Paxton). Quercus aegiops.

Ceriops,-opis (s.f.III) (Rhizophoraceae), C. decandra; C. candolleana; C. candolleana.

Dryobalanops,-opis (s.f.III) (Dipterocarpaceae) [> Gk. dryas = nymph to whom the oak was sacred + balanops = acorn: describing the acorn-like nut].

Lithops,-opis (s.f.III), abl.sg. Lithope, like a stone in appearance; feminine gender: Lithops marmorata; L. bella; L. pseudotruncatella; L. karasmontana.

Mimusops,-opis (s.f.III) L. from mimo, an ape, and ops, the face; the flowers may be fancied to resemble the face of a monkey. Sapotaceae (Paxton).

MASC. [zoology] Cynops,-opis (s. m/fIII) masc and some fem. epithets, Fire belly newt.

Echinops,-opis (s.m.III) L., > Gk. echinops, with hedgehog-like flowers, > L. echinus, ‘hedgehog,’ + ops, appearance, "from the bristly nature of the armed foliage or perhaps of the spreading individual involucres in the dense spherical glomerules" (Fernald 1950); note the genus is masculine: E. sphaerocephalus L., E. dahuricus Fisch., E. viscosus DC.

Euryops,-opis (s.m.III) (Asteraceae); E. annuus; E arabicus; E. brevilobus.

[zoology] Molops,-opis (s.m.III): genus of beetles (family Carabidae). NOTE: Molopospermum,-i (s.n.II) > Gk. molops, a stripe + sperma, a seed; the fruit has the appearance of being striped. Apiaceceae (Paxton).

[zoology] Zaops depressa, a decapod (note the feminine gender) Zaops ostreus, Oyster crab (note the masculine gender).

"According to Sprague (1935) [T.A. Sprague The gender of generic names; a vindication of Article 72(2). Kew Bulletin, 1935: 545-557]: 'Modern generic names of plants ending in -ops were presumably modelled on the masculine Greek nouns aigilops (aigilOps), denoting Quercus Cerris and also Aegilops ovatus, and cynops (kunOps), a name for Plantago lanceolata. They may therefore be regarded as nouns derived from ops (Ops), m.f.n., meaning 'eye' or 'face', hence 'facies' or 'appearance.' The word cyclops, however, is used both as a masculine noun, and as an adjective, meaning 'round-eyed,' and both monops, 'one-eyed,' and chrysops, 'gold-colored, shining like gold,' are adjectives. As far as their form is concerned, modern generic names ending in ops might be either nouns or adjectives ... since ops itself may be masculine, feminine or neuter, the gender of modern generic names ending in ops may also be masculine, feminine or neuter. Each generic name in -ops will accordingly take the gender originally assigned to it. Thus Balanops, Dryobalanops, Gyrinops and Mimusops will be treated as feminine, and Echnops and Euryops as masculine, since these were the genders adopted by the authors of the respective names ' (Quoted by Stearn, 1983 p. 265).