salamander

American  

[sal-uh-man-der] / ˈsæl əˌmæn dər /

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.

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salamander British  

/ 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

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Related Words

See sylph.

Other Word Forms

• salamanderlike adjective
• salamandrine adjective
• salamandroid adjective

Etymology

Origin of salamander

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

Example Sentences

Mexicans have plenty of spiritual animalistic icons and regional exclusives that make sense, from the endangered axolotl salamander to Xoloitzcuintle, a hairless dog.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

“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.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2025

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.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2025

Rachel Nuwer and Chang W. Lee each joined a nighttime salamander hunt in Kyoto, Japan, and visited a herpetology lab at Kyoto University while reporting this article.

From New York Times • Jun. 17, 2024

I didn’t see a bear, didn’t see a salamander, didn’t see foxfire, didn’t see anything actually—just perpetual dribbles and droplets of rain adhering to my glasses.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• frog
• toad