definitions
Nov. 25th, 2005 02:33 pmin response to reader question:
murine, adj: of or pertaining to mice
Exactly analagous to:
feline - pertaining to cats
canine - pertaining to dogs
bovine - pertaining to cows
equine - pertaining to horses
Also:
porcine - pertaining to pigs
ovine - pertaining to sheep
caprine - pertaining to goats (hence caper and capriole)
piscine - pertaining to fish
lapine - pertaining to rabbits
aprine - pertaining to pigs, but used to refer to wild pigs/boars/related species rather than domesticated suidae (hence "caput apri defero"; "the boar's head in hand bear I")
Not all such zoological adjectives take the -ine ending; the next most common one is -ian, as in:
avian - pertaining to birds
simian - pertaining to monkeys
Other common endings include -id and -oid, as in:
anthropoid - of or pertaining to great apes, often used for humans, and
hominid - pertaining to the homo genus within the great apes in particular
corvid - pertaining to crows, ravens, and their relatives
pelagid - of or pertaining to deep-sea life, e.g. whales, seals, penguins, or ocean fish
Some nice obscure ones:
sciurine - pertaining to squirrels
also, although "avian" refers to birds in general, you have:
columbine, of or pertaining to doves and pigeons (while many places named Columbus, Columbia, etc., are named after Christopher C., many others are named after the goddess who is the personification of peace, sometimes called Columbia, and she in turn was named after the dove that represents peace.)
psitticine (the p is silent), of or pertaining to parrots and the related macaws and cockatoos
murine, adj: of or pertaining to mice
Exactly analagous to:
feline - pertaining to cats
canine - pertaining to dogs
bovine - pertaining to cows
equine - pertaining to horses
Also:
porcine - pertaining to pigs
ovine - pertaining to sheep
caprine - pertaining to goats (hence caper and capriole)
piscine - pertaining to fish
lapine - pertaining to rabbits
aprine - pertaining to pigs, but used to refer to wild pigs/boars/related species rather than domesticated suidae (hence "caput apri defero"; "the boar's head in hand bear I")
Not all such zoological adjectives take the -ine ending; the next most common one is -ian, as in:
avian - pertaining to birds
simian - pertaining to monkeys
Other common endings include -id and -oid, as in:
anthropoid - of or pertaining to great apes, often used for humans, and
hominid - pertaining to the homo genus within the great apes in particular
corvid - pertaining to crows, ravens, and their relatives
pelagid - of or pertaining to deep-sea life, e.g. whales, seals, penguins, or ocean fish
Some nice obscure ones:
sciurine - pertaining to squirrels
also, although "avian" refers to birds in general, you have:
columbine, of or pertaining to doves and pigeons (while many places named Columbus, Columbia, etc., are named after Christopher C., many others are named after the goddess who is the personification of peace, sometimes called Columbia, and she in turn was named after the dove that represents peace.)
psitticine (the p is silent), of or pertaining to parrots and the related macaws and cockatoos