# What meaning is Pokie?



## Mark (Jun 22, 2004)

I want to know this T culture?
That makes me know a lot
thx


----------



## priZZ (Jun 22, 2004)

Hi,

i think is Poecilotheria spp.

Bye,
Marcel


----------



## Mark (Jun 22, 2004)

Can someone tell me the meaning?


----------



## G_Wright (Jun 22, 2004)

Mark said:
			
		

> Can someone tell me the meaning?



it's just a shourtend way or saying Poecilotheria  the work pokie came for an incorrect prenounciation  Poe kill o theria when if fact it is prenounced  pee-suh-luh-THI-ree-uh


----------



## priZZ (Jun 22, 2004)

Like I sad! *lol*


----------



## FryLock (Jun 22, 2004)

Im pretty certain the "pokie" comes from internet short hand rather then a shortening of the mispronounced Poecilothera its probably now in common usage IRL but when hobbyist spoke of Poecilothera up to the mid 90's they were always known as ornamentals or there species names IME.


----------



## Lycanthrope (Jun 22, 2004)

I always thought it was kind of a joke. Calling them "pokie" when they are really fast as hell. Kind of like Little John from Robin Hood.


----------



## Makai (Jun 22, 2004)

As I explainedon other thread:

"It is because the pronunciation of the latin name poecilotheria, in latin you pronounce "c" with the sound "k", so that pronunciation would be "poekiloteria" and that derivated to "pokiloteria" and pokie for english speaking people"


----------



## Mark (Jun 22, 2004)

thx for your answer


----------



## Lycanthrope (Jun 22, 2004)

that doesnt seem right to me, since "oe" together in latin makes an "EE" sound ie (Pee-sil-uh-thoor-ee-uh).


----------



## FryLock (Jun 22, 2004)

Yes that’s right because even said with out the right pronunciation it would be poek not poke or pokie :?, I purpose we change the netname to Peeks   like say i think its along the same lines as Ple*o in the catfish hobby online (i think got spelling of it right) but not for the same reasons.


----------



## Elizabeth (Jun 22, 2004)

Makai said:
			
		

> As I explainedon other thread:
> 
> "It is because the pronunciation of the latin name poecilotheria, in latin you pronounce "c" with the sound "k",




Not all latin is pronounced the same, strange as this may sound. Classical latin (literature) - this rule is true (c = k sound).  However, entomological or other latins - no, this isn't necessarily true.  

If anyone is really interested, please google for latin pronunciation keys or guides.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## FryLock (Jun 22, 2004)

This is true purists like to keep the old letter sounds but I think (and have heard) hobbyist change the letters to the modern English sounds I used to do that myself until I learnt better (still do with a few of the hard ones) so long as ppl know the animal your speaking of its probably ok.


----------



## Lycanthrope (Jun 22, 2004)

I called the genus (Po-eh-sie-lo-thare-ia) for a long time. Michael Jacobi directed me to the correct pronunciation.


----------



## RazorRipley (Jun 22, 2004)

Mark said:
			
		

> Can someone tell me the meaning?


Pokie is a sorta dumb, over used expression meaning a 'poecilotheria' sp. I comes from the name Pococki, who is the man, when it comes to discovering these different species.


----------



## FryLock (Jun 22, 2004)

Yes god knows how much stuff Mr Pocock must have seen (mostly dead tho) i think im right in saying he named all kinds of spiders and possibility other arachnids too, oh and I used to say it the same way Lycanthrope im pretty sure both ways are valid but a purist would disagree (even tho some Latin names are old Greek).


----------



## Maikardaaion (Jun 22, 2004)

I belive that 'po-eh-sie-lo-thare-ia' is the right pronounciation. 
I don't know why but I feel it's right not to pronounce 'po-eh-ki-lo-thare-ia', it's the same way one speaks 'cen-kria' (cenchria) not 'ken-kria' but 'u-ryi-kan-tha' (eurycantha) or 'a-kan-thos' (acanthos). 
I shall ask my former latin teacher which one is correct, just to be sure.
Using latin almost every day during medical studies doesn't give ma any certainty at all... only intuition remains...


----------



## Henry Kane (Jun 22, 2004)

RazorRipley said:
			
		

> Pokie is a sorta dumb, over used expression meaning a 'poecilotheria' sp. I comes from the name Pococki, who is the man, when it comes to discovering these different species.


Dumb and overused huh? Hmmm. It's interesting what nerves some folks. Oh well. Since Pokies are one of my all-time favorite genera, that word could never be overused IMO.

The pronounciation in the states is Poe-sill-oh-theria. The Europeans pronounce it with the "k" sound which is understandable since we don't pronounce Pocock's name "Po-sock"

As far as discovering these species, he's not "the man" all by himself. Let's not forget Latreille or Kirk. They deserve credit too.

Atrax


----------



## FryLock (Jun 22, 2004)

Atax "Poe-sill-oh-theria" is exactly how it sounds when I say it (with the sill sounding like "window sill") i know im in good company


----------



## Henry Kane (Jun 22, 2004)

FryLock said:
			
		

> Atax "Poe-sill-oh-theria" is exactly how it sounds when I say it (with the sill sounding like "window sill") i know im in good company


I do not doubt your company,  Do you not hear the "k" sound used at all by other European hobbyists? I've never been to Europe, I'm just going by what I was told by Andrew Smith.

P.S. You and I pronounce it the same way!   WHat's up blood brother?! j/k 

Atrax


----------



## FryLock (Jun 22, 2004)

Atrax back in the day (remebering i sold up bar a few mid 90's) no one i knew close ever change the c to k im guessing ppl have a bug stuck somewere about the classic latin sounds of the words now ;P


----------



## Henry Kane (Jun 22, 2004)

FryLock said:
			
		

> Atrax back in the day (remebering i sold up bar a few mid 90's) no one i knew close ever change the c to k im guessing ppl have a bug stuck somewere about the classic latin sounds of the words now ;P


I don't suppose that would be out of character for the individual in question.
Thanks for letting me know however. That certainly simplifies things.

On that note, I will revise my post:

The correct pronounciation simply is Poe-sill-oh-theria, from here to abroad.   

Take care.

Atrax


----------



## Maikardaaion (Jun 22, 2004)

Aren't you a bit too proud of Yourselves??  I'm 100% european and I pronounce it with 'sill' in the middle!!


----------



## Henry Kane (Jun 22, 2004)

Maikardaaion said:
			
		

> Aren't you a bit too proud of Yourselves??  I'm 100% european and I pronounce it with 'sill' in the middle!!


I'm not incredibly proud after discovering the information I reveived was questionable. So far, that's 2 Europeans to 1. I suppose I've gathered the broken pieces of my dignity since my last post.  :} 

Funny thing though, I kind of liked the ring that Mr. Smith's pronounciation had but it would completely lose it's charm with the American accent.

Atrax


----------



## RazorRipley (Jun 23, 2004)

Mark said:
			
		

> Can someone tell me the meaning?


the term 'pokie' means member of the poecilothera. Its a slang word that people got from the name POCOCKI, the big guy who is credited with discovering most of these different species. In fact, the smithi a very short while back used to be the 'pococki' species.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## thetonestarr (Jun 9, 2021)

This thread is ancient and I'm sure this has been discussed again sometime in the past 17 years, but...

"Poecilotheria" comes from the Greek ποικίλος "poikilos" (pronounced "po-ee-key-lowss") and θηρίον "therion" ("tee-ree-on").

*these pronunciations are slightly off - there IS a bit of a "th" pronounciation in "therion" but the specific sound is absent in English, so it's easiest to go with the nearest sound - and it's basically 90% just a "t").

Anyways, all said and done, the genus is properly pronounced "po-ee-key-lo-tee-ree-uh". Because binomials are written in neo-Latin - sometimes are Latin-originating words, but usually are Latinized words from other languages, it's ~technically~ OK to pronounce entirely by Latin rules, but the most correct way to pronounce a binomial is all parts pronounced by their original language, EXCEPT the parts converted to Latin (in the case of Poecilotheria, that would only be the -ia ending).

source: professional linguist.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Edan bandoot (Jun 9, 2021)

thetonestarr said:


> This thread is ancient and I'm sure this has been discussed again sometime in the past 17 years, but...
> 
> "Poecilotheria" comes from the Greek ποικίλος "poikilos" (pronounced "po-ee-key-lowss") and θηρίον "therion" ("tee-ree-on").
> 
> ...


i say pee so la theria : ) ) )

source- not a professional linguist.

Reactions: Agree 2


----------



## thetonestarr (Jun 9, 2021)

Edan bandoot said:


> i say pee so la theria : ) ) )
> 
> source- not a professional linguist.


And that's fine! how people pronounce things that aren't in their native language. I'm just saying, for the people who want to know the proper way, here it is.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## quirinus (Jun 9, 2021)

Makai said:


> in latin you pronounce "c" with the sound "k", so that pronunciation would be "poekiloteria"


that's not 100% correct, if the c stands ahead of an i (and also some other letters), it is pronounced "ts" in german or "ch" or something like that in english.
just google "latin pronunciation of c"



Henry Kane said:


> The Europeans pronounce it with the "k" sound


also not true, see above.


----------



## mack1855 (Jun 9, 2021)

Edan bandoot said:


> i say pee so la theria : ) ) )


Same here,thanks…...and we all know what genus we are referring to .And I will not change my pronunciation anytime soon.
I generally butcher the Engish language .And don't even ask about my Spanish,.Latin?.Ya,ok.

Reactions: Funny 1


----------



## Matt Man (Jun 9, 2021)

Nickname derived  from a mispronunciation of the Genus. The proper pronunciation is pee suh luh theria. So if anything they should be called PeeCees, or PeeSus.
oe in latin is never pronounced like a O. The C is an S and not hard K. Hard Ks are typically Ch (as in Chianti)

Some say it was derived from Pocock, but I've never seen any verification.  Here's your latin.


----------



## thetonestarr (Jun 9, 2021)

Matt Man said:


> Nickname derived  from a mispronunciation of the Genus. The proper pronunciation is pee suh luh theria. So if anything they should be called PeeCees, or PeeSus.
> oe in latin is never pronounced like a O. The C is an S and not hard K. Hard Ks are typically Ch (as in Chianti)
> 
> Some say it was derived from Pocock, but I've never seen any verification.  Here's your latin.


Again, that's not exactly accurate. That document is shoehorning all binomial names into Latin pronunciation, but if they aren't of Latin origin (as Poecilotheria is not), the most correct pronunciation will not follow Latin rules.

Poecilotheria is of Greek origin, so pronouncing it by Greek rules is most correct.

Since scientific/binomial names are Latinized, pronouncing by Latin rules is *accepted*, even if not *correct*. But since this thread is discussing what is *correct*, it's important to distinguish the language from which it is derived and follow those rules.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## AphonopelmaTX (Jun 10, 2021)

thetonestarr said:


> Again, that's not exactly accurate. That document is shoehorning all binomial names into Latin pronunciation, but if they aren't of Latin origin (as Poecilotheria is not), the most correct pronunciation will not follow Latin rules.
> 
> Poecilotheria is of Greek origin, so pronouncing it by Greek rules is most correct.
> 
> Since scientific/binomial names are Latinized, pronouncing by Latin rules is *accepted*, even if not *correct*. But since this thread is discussing what is *correct*, it's important to distinguish the language from which it is derived and follow those rules.


No one ever pronounces any word, including names, according to the pronunciation rules of the language it comes from.  This is true in zoological nomenclature as well.  The fact of the matter is the scientific names of organisms are a mix-match of different languages.  When one considers that taxon names above the genus rank, such as Poecilotherinae (subfamily), may have a Greek root but is Latinized by the suffiix -inae, all of the rules of pronunciation according to the language of the root word go straight out of the window.  Even if the genus name Poecilotheria is pronounced using Latin rules, the first syllable wouldn't be pronounced "peek" or "piece", it would be pronounced "poych" or "poich" (hard to type phonetically).

When these old scientific names are made up, they are spelled with a ligature.  When Eugene Simon, a Frenchman, came up with the name Poecilotheria, he used the ligature œ; so the original spelling was Pœcilotheria.  I don't know classic Greek or Latin, but I do know the ligature œ is supposed to be pronounced "ee" as in "see" in modern English.

When these discussions come up, no one considers that there really is no 'proper' way to pronounce the scientific names of organisms.  For example, according one pronunciation guide (American Tarantula Society Forum) the first three letters of Poecilotheria is pronounced "pee", but another pronunciation guide (Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual) states the first syllable of the genus Poeciloneta as "poy".  One is obviously using common pronunciation of the ligature œ and another is using Latin, but neither is apparently using Greek.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter how one pronounces scientific names, but I think we can all agree that the first syllable of Poecilotheria is definitely not "poke."

Reactions: Like 1 | Helpful 1 | Award 1


----------



## sasker (Jun 10, 2021)

Good to know how to pronounce it, but all of this still doesn't answer the question of this thread: what does it mean? 




thetonestarr said:


> "Poecilotheria" comes from the Greek ποικίλος "poikilos" (pronounced "po-ee-key-lowss") and θηρίον "therion" ("tee-ree-on").


Do I correctly draw the conclusion that Poecilotheria means 'diverse beast'? That's what Google Translate came up with.


----------



## thetonestarr (Jun 10, 2021)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> No one ever pronounces any word, including names, according to the pronunciation rules of the language it comes from.  This is true in zoological nomenclature as well.  The fact of the matter is the scientific names of organisms are a mix-match of different languages.  When one considers that taxon names above the genus rank, such as Poecilotherinae (subfamily), may have a Greek root but is Latinized by the suffiix -inae, all of the rules of pronunciation according to the language of the root word go straight out of the window.  Even if the genus name Poecilotheria is pronounced using Latin rules, the first syllable wouldn't be pronounced "peek" or "piece", it would be pronounced "poych" or "poich" (hard to type phonetically).
> 
> When these old scientific names are made up, they are spelled with a ligature.  When Eugene Simon, a Frenchman, came up with the name Poecilotheria, he used the ligature œ; so the original spelling was Pœcilotheria.  I don't know classic Greek or Latin, but I do know the ligature œ is supposed to be pronounced "ee" as in "see" in modern English.
> 
> ...


Ultimately I would say you're right that it doesn't matter, but I disagree on whether there's a correct way or not. 

But yes, in Greek, it's "po-eek" or "poyk", so "poke" certainly isn't right, but here's the fun thing. With abbreviations, it doesn't matter! My name is Anthony but nobody whines about where the h went to make Tony. My wife's name is Amanda but nobody says, "where'd the y come from?"

Abbreviations can cut things out all the time. All that matters, in the end, is that the origin of "Poecilotheria" contains "po" and "kee" sounds, so "pokie" is entirely valid in my book.



sasker said:


> Good to know how to pronounce it, but all of this still doesn't answer the question of this thread: what does it mean?
> 
> 
> Do I correctly draw the conclusion that Poecilotheria means 'diverse beast'? That's what Google Translate came up with.


IIRC "poikilos" here is used to mean "spotted", in reference to the P.regalis banding.

Reactions: Thanks 1


----------



## sasker (Jun 10, 2021)

thetonestarr said:


> My name is Anthony but nobody whines about where the h went to make Tony.


I always find 'Bill' short for William a bit odd.


----------



## thetonestarr (Jun 10, 2021)

sasker said:


> I always find 'Bill' short for William a bit odd.


Right? Or Dick from Richard.

Apparently in medieval England, it was common to use "rhyming" nicknames. IE, the nickname for Richard was Rick, so they rhymed to Dick and ran with it. Nickname for William was Will, so they rhymed to Bill and said ok cool.

Reactions: Like 2 | Informative 1


----------

