axolotl

American  

[ak-suh-lot-l] / ˈæk səˌlɒt l /

noun

1. any of several salamanders of the genus Ambystoma that inhabit lakes and ponds of Mexico and remain in the larval stage as sexually mature adults.

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axolotl British  

/ ˈæksəˌlɒtəl /

noun

1. any of several aquatic salamanders of the North American genus Ambystoma, esp A. mexicanum ( Mexican axolotl ), in which the larval form (including external gills) is retained throughout life under natural conditions (see neoteny ): family Ambystomidae

2. any of various other North American salamanders in which neoteny occurs or is induced

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Etymology

Origin of axolotl

1780–90; < Nahuatl āxōlōtl, equivalent to ā ( tl ) water + xōlōtl page, male servant

Example Sentences

Mexicans have plenty of spiritual animalistic icons and regional exclusives that make sense, from the endangered axolotl salamander to Xoloitzcuintle, a hairless dog.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

RR thinks it would be fun to be an axolotl and breathe underwater.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2025

But in the murky wetlands of Mexico City, there is still a great deal of work to do to clean up and restore the habitat, and to give the wild axolotl a chance to recover.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2025

The Mexican axolotl — a dusky amphibian with the remarkable habit of neoteny, or retaining its juvenile body type all its life — once thrived in these canals.

From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2023

My dear Henry Lee,—You ask me to tell you what I know of that strange Protean—the axolotl.

From Mayne Reid A Memoir of his Life by Reid, Elizabeth