fingeri

Fingeri is a Latinized patronymic epithet used in scientific names to honor a person with the surname Finger. In taxonomic practice, the epithet is combined with a genus name to form a binomial name, with the epithet written in lowercase and distinct from the capitalized genus. The ending -i traditionally signals masculine singular in Latin, while feminine and plural variants exist (for example fingerae for a female honoree and fingerorum for multiple honorees). The form is chosen to agree with Latin grammatical gender and number and is not capitalized.

The use of fingeri reflects a long-standing convention in zoological and botanical nomenclature to recognize individuals who contributed to the discovery, collection, or study of a organism. The exact spelling and gender agreement are guided by the relevant nomenclatural codes (the ICZN for animals and the ICN for plants), and may vary with the authorship and historical practices of different taxonomic groups. In practice, fingeri serves as a way to embed a tribute within a formal scientific name while adhering to established linguistic rules.

Beyond taxonomy, fingeri can also appear as a surname in real-world contexts. The term does not denote a single, universally defined concept outside of its use in naming organisms. In encyclopedia and reference work, fingeri is treated as a patronymic epithet or as a family name, depending on context.