amphibian

noun

am·​phib·​i·​an am-ˈfi-bē-ən How to pronounce amphibian (audio)
1
: an amphibious organism
especially : any of a class (Amphibia) of cold-blooded vertebrates (such as frogs, toads, or salamanders) intermediate in many characters between fish and reptiles and having gilled aquatic larvae and air-breathing adults
Unlike reptiles, most amphibians possess a smooth, moist skin and lay their shell-less eggs in water or wet places. Jeffrey P. Cohn
2
: an amphibious vehicle
especially : an airplane designed to take off from and land on either land or water
amphibian adjective

Examples of amphibian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Wildlife Beyond the 1,500 blooming plants, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to around 65 species of mammals, over 200 varieties of birds, 67 native fish species, and more than 80 types of reptiles and amphibians. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024 The expedition was co-led by herpetologist Eli Greenbaum, a Director of Biodiversity Collections and Professor at UTEP, where his research expertise is the evolutionary genetics and taxonomy of Central African amphibians and reptiles. Grrlscientist, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Giraldo said reptiles, amphibians and insects also are cared for and used for general public programming. Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 The team photographed the seemingly healthy amphibian and reported the discovery. Katie Hunt, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 The amphibian, however, is now steadily rebounding at a 2,000-acre wildland preserve thanks to a project dedicated to the species’ conservation, the Land Trust of Napa County said in a Feb. 28 news release. Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 The team spotted the amphibian on its rock near a stream. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 The amphibians star in a series of easy readers first published in the 1970s by author Arnold Lobel. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Zooming in on amphibians: Which is the smallest vertebrate in the world? Grrlscientist, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amphibian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Amphibia, taxon including frogs and salamanders (from neuter plural of amphibius amphibious) + -an entry 1

Note: As a taxon Amphibia was used as a class name already by linnaeus (Systema naturae, 10. editio, 1758, p. 196 et passim), but in a sense that included both amphibians and some reptiles. Limitation of the taxon to approximately its current meaning dates from Thomas Gray's "A Synopsis of the Genera of Reptiles and Amphibia" (Annals of Philosophy, new series vol. 10, July-December, 1825, pp.193-217) according to Darrel R. Frost, et al., "The Amphibian Tree of Life," Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, No. 297 (2006), p. 355. The use of both English amphibian and Latin amphibius with varying gender and number to refer to animals living on both land and sea (and in figurative senses) can be found much earlier.

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of amphibian was in 1749

Dictionary Entries Near amphibian

Cite this Entry

“Amphibian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amphibian. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amphibian

noun
am·​phib·​i·​an am-ˈfib-ē-ən How to pronounce amphibian (audio)
1
: any organism that is able to live both on land and in water
especially : any of a class of cold-blooded vertebrate animals (as frogs and salamanders) that in many respects are between fishes and reptiles
2
: an airplane designed to take off from and land on either land or water
amphibian adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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