salamander

[sal-uh-man-der]

noun

1. any tailed amphibian of the order Caudata, having a soft, moist, scaleless skin, typically aquatic as a larva and semiterrestrial as an adult: several species are endangered.

2. a mythical being, especially a lizard or other reptile, thought to be able to live in fire.

3. any of various portable stoves or burners.

4. Metallurgy.,  a mass of iron that accumulates at the bottom of a blast furnace as a result of the escape of molten metal through the hearth.

5. a metal plate or disk with a handle, heated and held over pastry, casserole crusts, etc., to brown or glaze it.

6. an oven usually heated from the top and bottom by gas, for cooking, browning, and glazing food.

salamander

/ ˈsæləˌmændə, ˌsæləˈmændrɪn /

noun

1. any of various urodele amphibians, such as Salamandra salamandra ( European fire salamander ) of central and S Europe (family Salamandridae ). They are typically terrestrial, have an elongated body, and only return to water to breed

2. any urodele amphibian

3. a mythical reptile supposed to live in fire

4. an elemental fire-inhabiting being

5. any person or thing able to exist in fire or great heat

6. metallurgy a residue of metal and slag deposited on the walls of a furnace

7. a portable stove used to dry out a building under construction

Other Word Forms

• salamanderlike adjective
• salamandrine adjective
• salamandroid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of salamander¹

1300–50; Middle English salamandre from Latin salamandra from Greek salamándrā

Word History and Origins

Origin of salamander¹

C14: from Old French salamandre, from Latin salamandra, from Greek

Synonym Study

See sylph.

Example Sentences

But like the axolotl, the salamander she studied, this program is critically endangered.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“He is a mix between a bird of prey, like a peregrine falcon, with extremely streamlined shapes — of course a feline but also a Mexican salamander called an axolotl,” Otto says.

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Aztec legend has it that the creature is a god in salamander form - the Aztec god of fire and lightning, Xolotl, disguised as a salamander.

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While some regenerating animals like salamanders and fish focus on restoring lost parts in proportion to what remains, this sea anemone takes a different approach.

Read more on Science Daily

Here, slender salamanders slink through the leaf litter under robust stands of Santa Cruz Island buckwheat and California fuchsia.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• frog 
• toad