newt

[ noot, nyoot ]

/ nut, nyut /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR newt ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of several brilliantly colored salamanders of the family Salamandridae, especially those of the genera Triturus and Notophthalmus, of North America, Europe, and northern Asia.

any of various other small salamanders.

Nearby words

newswire, newswoman, newsworthy, newswriting, newsy, newt, newton, newton's cradle, newton's law of gravitation, newton's law of motion, newton's laws of motion

Origin of newt

1375–1425; late Middle English newte, for ewte (the phrase an ewte being taken as a newte; cf. nickname), variant of evet, Old English efete eft¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for newt

This is more exciting than the Newt Gingrich congressional triumph of 1994.
The GOP Senate: A New Utopia Dawns|P. J. O’Rourke|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He tried to pass healthcare reform but Newt Gingrich and the GOP-controlled House and Senate shot it down.
Bill Maher: Yes, I Can Generalize About Muslims|Marlow Stern|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This was done masterfully by Newt Gingrich in the debate before the South Carolina primary.
How Red-State Democrats Can Throw Obama Under the Bus|Michael Tomasky|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As you might guess, Newt is decidedly one of the people to which these agencies cater.
Your Fake Followers Are Catfishing You: Bacon Mavens, Newt’s Fake Fans, and Other Social Media Scams|Charles Seife|July 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

My CNN colleague Newt Gingrich was Republican Speaker of the House when the Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law.
Prop 8’s Conservative Fans: Where Are They Now?|Sally Kohn|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Put him in the fairest garden, and presently he will approach you with a newt, a toad, or a huge snail in his custody.
Danger! and Other Stories|Arthur Conan Doyle
As Newt had ridden out of the stable-lot, Minerva had come to the door of the cabin.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
Minerva Rawlins was leaning across the fence, and, as Newt passed her, he caught once more the flutter of her handkerchief.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
Newt knew that Captain Falkins would not command his company that day: that he was in fact "down below."
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
On the fourth of next July, Newt was going to have a celebration all his own.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for newt

newt

/ (njuːt) /

noun

any of various small semiaquatic urodele amphibians, such as Triturus vulgaris (common newt) of Europe, having a long slender body and tail and short feeble legs

mainly British any other urodele amphibian, including the salamanders

Word Origin for newt

C15: from a newt, a mistaken division of an ewt; ewt, from Old English eveta eft 1

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

newt

noun

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Origin of newt

Examples from the Web for newt

British Dictionary definitions for newt

newt

noun

Word Origin for newt