amphibian

American  

[am-fib-ee-uhn] / æmˈfɪb i ən /

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.

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adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Amphibia.

2. amphibious.

amphibian British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. another word for amphibious

2. of, relating to, or belonging to the class Amphibia

amphibian Scientific  

/ 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.

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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.

Other Word Forms

• nonamphibian adjective

Etymology

Origin of amphibian

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

Example Sentences

Earlier this year she successfully assisted hundreds of amphibians to safely cross the roads around Langley in Hexham - however, their offspring are now trying to find their ways back.

From BBC

Yet wildlife thrives in the harsh conditions, including hundreds of different birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

From BBC

The researchers analysed data on almost 50,000 different wild mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish that humans harvest for food, medicines or clothing, or collect from the wild for the pet trade.

From BBC

The idea was initially proposed in the 1960s, but most of the studies that explored it were in amphibians, which have a much simpler nasal structure.

From Scientific American

Frogs and other amphibians are also at high risk.

From New York Times

Related Words

• frog
• salamander
• toad