AMPHIBIAN Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

amphibian

[ am-fib-ee-uhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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 ).

amphibian

/ æ��ˈ��ɪ��ɪə�� /

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

amphibian

/ ă��-��ĭ��′ŧ-ə�� /

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.

Discover More

Other �y��vlog Forms

�Դǲ�a��·��󾱲�i·�� adjective

Discover More

�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of amphibian¹

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

Discover More

�y��vlog History

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 ��– 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.

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Amphibian chytridiomycosis is a fungal disease that has affected at least 500 amphibian species, making it one of the most devastating infectious diseases described by science.

From

Across mainland Europe, a number of exotic reptiles and amphibians have been accidentally discovered, particularly in potted olive trees:

From

The expedition also found a new species of dwarf squirrel, eight types of fish, three amphibians and 10 types of butterfly.

From

The highlighting process now finally works in amphibians.

From

The number of threatened trees now outweighs all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians put together, according to the latest update to the official extinction red list.

From

Related �y��vlogs

Browse