amphibious

[ am-fib-ee-uhs ]
See synonyms for amphibious on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. living or able to live both on land and in water; belonging to both land and water.

  2. Also amphibian . capable of operating on both land and water: amphibious vehicles.

  1. of or relating to military operations by both land and naval forces against the same object, especially to a military attack by troops landed by naval ships.

  2. trained or organized to fight, or fighting, on both land and sea: amphibious troops.

  3. combining two qualities, kinds, traits, etc.; of or having a mixed or twofold nature.

Origin of amphibious

1
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin amphibius, from Greek amphíbios “living a double life”; see amphi-, bio-, -ous

Other words from amphibious

  • am·phib·i·ous·ly, adverb
  • am·phib·i·ous·ness, noun
  • non·am·phib·i·ous, adjective
  • non·am·phib·i·ous·ly, adverb
  • non·am·phib·i·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby amphibious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use amphibious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for amphibious

amphibious

/ (æmˈfɪbɪəs) /


adjective
  1. able to live both on land and in the water, as frogs, toads, etc

  2. designed for operation on or from both water and land

  1. relating to military forces and equipment organized for operations launched from the sea against an enemy shore

  2. having a dual or mixed nature

Origin of amphibious

1
C17: from Greek amphibios, literally: having a double life, from amphi- + bios life

Derived forms of amphibious

  • amphibiously, adverb
  • amphibiousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012