amphibian

noun

am·​phib·​i·​an am-ˈfi-bē-ən 

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

Jim Horton, president of Hoosier Herpetology Society, will be providing a closer look at live amphibians native to Indiana. 8 p.m. - Amphibian Night Hike: This hike is weather dependent and must be above 50 degrees. —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2024

Milk-feeding and this type of communication between parents and the young has not been found in other amphibians. —Sofia Quaglia, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024

Sadness is not a problem to be solved, but rather a symptom of the human (*ahem, amphibian) condition. —Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

Join naturalists for a spring scavenger hunt for amphibians. —Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2024

De Magalhaes was fascinated to read a 2022 study published in Science that compared the aging of 77 species of reptiles and amphibians. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024

The wildlife here can pique anyone's interest, as Shedd's exhibits even include crustaceans, amphibians, and reptiles. —Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2024

These North American amphibians, which spend most of their time hibernating underground, dislike being threatened. —Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2024

While amphibians hibernate, their heart rate and metabolism slow way down, freeing them from the need to chow down on food. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024

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

Kids Definition

amphibian

noun

am·​phib·​i·​an am-ˈfib-ē-ən 

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