hellbender

American  

[hel-ben-der] / ˈhɛlˌbɛn dər /

noun

1. a large salamander, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, of rivers and streams in eastern North America, having a flat, stout body and broad head.

2. Informal. a reckless or headstrong person.

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hellbender British  

/ ˈhɛlˌbɛndə /

noun

1. a very large dark grey aquatic salamander, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, with internal gills: inhabits rivers in E and central US: family Cryptobranchidae

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Etymology

Origin of hellbender

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15; hell + bender

Example Sentences

A world without elephants, hellbender salamanders and the million other species at risk of extinction in the coming decades would be deeply impoverished.

From Scientific American • May 4, 2023

The hellbender salamander has been called a lot of things.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2023

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed 3,500 dead fish in waterways as well as deceased hellbender salamanders, an endangered species in the state.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2023

For his hellbender eDNA surveys, Spear used the two3 — a smartphone-based portable qPCR machine from Biomeme in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

From Nature • Jun. 24, 2019

I regret that I never saw a bear or wolf or followed the padding retreat of a giant hellbender salamander, never shooed away a bobcat or sidestepped a rattlesnake, never flushed a startled boar.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson