Strepera

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe a noisy or clamorous individual or situation
2. Referring to something characterized by loud, disruptive sounds or commotion
3. Denoting an environment or atmosphere filled with confusion or uproar due to excessive noise

Etymology: Strepera is a genus of Australian birds, the currawongs, and its name comes from Latin "strepere," meaning "to make a loud noise," the same root behind "strepitous," a rare English word for noisy. Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who formalised the system of scientific naming, drew on this root when he and later taxonomists needed a name that fit the birds' loud, ringing calls. The Latin adjective "strepera" itself, meaning "noisy" or "clamorous," was chosen as a descriptive label, so the name records a judgement about how the birds sound rather than anything about their appearance. The genus was named in 1831 by the English zoologist John Gould, working from specimens collected in Australia. Gould was prolific in naming birds, and many of his genus names were built from Latin or Greek adjectives describing a feature he had noticed. Here the feature was sound, and the currawongs do have a notably harsh, carrying call that a Latin speaker would have recognised at once as "strepera."