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

So it was meaningful when, in the 2000s, Vredenburg noticed that some of the amphibians he studied in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains survived the chytrid onslaught.

From Nautilus

What makes amphibians unique is that they live a “double life.”

From Science News For Students

By the time the amphibian is an adult, it usually has lungs, not gills.

From Science News For Students

They shone blue or ultraviolet light on 32 species of amphibians.

From Science News For Students

The new finding suggests that this biofluorescence is widespread among amphibians.

From Science News For Students

As the amphibian taxied away without its passenger, Clyde Wendell came down the trail.

From Project Gutenberg

The amphibian was taxiing slowly through the water, its nose pointed directly toward the beach.

From Project Gutenberg

The amphibian coasted slowly in toward the beach, throttled down its motors and finally came to a halt.

From Project Gutenberg

You may be sure April has really come when this little amphibian creeps out of the mud and inflates its throat.

From Project Gutenberg

The only other amphibian at Chinaj known to breed in the pools is Bufo valliceps valliceps.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• frog
• salamander
• toad