amphibian

[ am-fib-ee-uhn ]

noun

1. any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Amphibia, comprising frogs and toads, newts and salamanders, and caecilians, the larvae being typically aquatic, breathing by gills, and the adults being typically semiterrestrial, breathing by lungs and through the moist, glandular skin.
2. an amphibious plant.
3. an airplane designed for taking off from and landing on both land and water.
4. Also called amtrac. a flat-bottomed, armed, military vehicle, equipped with both tracks and a rudder, that can travel either on land or in water, used chiefly for landing assault troops.

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Amphibia.
2. amphibious ( def 2 ).

amphibian

/ æmˈfɪbɪən /

noun

1. any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Amphibia, typically living on land but breeding in water. Their aquatic larvae (tadpoles) undergo metamorphosis into the adult form. The class includes the newts and salamanders, frogs and toads, and caecilians
2. a type of aircraft able to land and take off from both water and land
3. any vehicle able to travel on both water and land

adjective

1. another word for amphibious
2. of, relating to, or belonging to the class Amphibia

amphibian

/ ăm-fĭb′ē-ən /

1. A cold-blooded, smooth-skinned vertebrate of the class Amphibia. Amphibians hatch as aquatic larvae with gills and, in most species, then undergo metamorphosis into four-legged terrestrial adults with lungs for breathing air. The eggs of amphibians are fertilized externally and lack an amnion. Amphibians evolved from lobe-finned fish during the late Devonian Period and include frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians.

Other Words From

• nonam·phibi·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of amphibian¹

1630–40; < Latin amphibi ( a ), neuter plural of amphibius (adj.) ( amphibious ) + -an

Word History

Amphibians, not quite fish and not quite reptiles, were the first vertebrates to live on land. These cold-blooded animals spend their larval stage in water, breathing through their gills. In adulthood they usually live on land, using their lungs to breath air. This double life is also at the root of their name, amphibian, which, like many scientific words, derives from Greek. The Greek prefix amphi– means “both,” or “double,” and the Greek word bios means “life.” Both these elements are widely used in English scientific terminology: bios, for example, is seen in such words as biology, antibiotic, and symbiotic.

Example Sentences

The number of threatened trees now outweighs all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians put together, according to the latest update to the official extinction red list.

From BBC

“We focused on amphibians because 41% of the assessed species are threatened, and temperature is an important driver of their extinction,” the authors said.

From Salon

The report is based on the Living Planet Index of more than 5,000 bird, mammal, amphibian, reptile and fish population counts over five decades.

From BBC

But the California amphibians are once again in the line of fire and another rescue mission could be in the cards.

From Los Angeles Times

And while they prefer to eat fish, amphibians and small mammals, alligators will snap their jaws at anything that comes too close.

From BBC

Related Words

• frog
• salamander
• toad