amphibian

[am-fib-ee-uh n] /æmˈfɪb i ən/

noun

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.

an amphibious plant.

an airplane designed for taking off from and landing on both land and water.

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.

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the Amphibia.

amphibious (def 2).

Origin

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

Related forms

nonamphibian, adjective

Examples from the web for amphibian

Sax said this research has implications beyond amphibian wildlife.
But the amphibian also looks strikingly different to other species.
One amphibian did hold a larva in its stomach for two hours, but eventually regurgitated it.
Bright yellow spots distinguish this secretive amphibian.
On a global scale, the amphibian population has been waning.
amphibian species are going extinct at an alarming rate.
amphibian brain stems emit similar signals, which control the regular motion of their gills.
Biologists have discovered that amphibian diseases are spread by bait shops.
Only a few reports have linked amphibian declines to pesticides.
Your donation also offers you an opportunity to join scientists on an amphibian rescue mission.

British Dictionary definitions for amphibian

amphibian

/æmˈfɪbɪən/

noun

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

a type of aircraft able to land and take off from both water and land

any vehicle able to travel on both water and land

adjective

another word for amphibious

of, relating to, or belonging to the class Amphibia

Word Origin and History for amphibian

adj.

1630s, "having two modes of existence, of doubtful nature," from Greek amphibia, neuter plural of amphibios "living a double life," from amphi- "of both kinds" (see amphi-) + bios "life" (see bio-).

Formerly used by zoologists to describe all sorts of combined natures (including otters and seals), the biological sense "class of animals between fishes and reptiles that live both on land and in water" and the noun derivative both are first recorded 1835. Amphibia was used in this sense from c.1600 and has been a zoological classification since c.1819.

amphibian in Science

amphibian

(ām-fĭb'ē-ən)
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.

Our Living Language : 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.