newt
Americannoun
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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.
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any of various other small salamanders.
noun
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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
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any other urodele amphibian, including the salamanders
Etymology
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 eft 1
Explanation
A newt is a small, brightly colored amphibian that spends part of its time on land and the rest in the water. A newt looks like a cross between a frog and a lizard. Newts are a type of salamander that primarily lives on land but also has gills that enable it to occasionally live an aquatic life. The word newt comes from an ewte, and the Old English efte, "small, lizard-like animal." These little lizard-like animals have four short legs, often with webbed toes, and dry skin. When out of the water, newts seek out shady areas where they can stay cool.
Vocabulary lists containing newt
Amazing Animals, List 1
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Amazing Animals, A-Z
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Vocabulary from the Songs of "The Little Mermaid"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw a California newt waddling through Millard Canyon falls.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025
Instead, he found a smooth newt, which went home with him.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2023
Here in the Pacific Northwest spring, tiger salamanders emerge from their fossorial homes to breed, and the poisonous rough-skinned newt accelerates its activities with the warming sun.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023
Brammer and her husband, Rick Stubblefield, have been newt brigade captains for just over a year.
From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2023
And suddenly, with the water, out came the long slimy newt straight into the glass, plop!
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
