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# amphibian

noun (an amphibian, amphibians); adjective (amphibian, amphibious — about vehicles)

«amphibian» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. An animal with a backbone that is cold-blooded, has moist skin, usually lays eggs in water, and lives part of its life in water and part on land, like frogs, toads, newts and salamanders. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#m1)
2. A vehicle or plane that can travel on both land and water (amphibious vehicle). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science classification, amphibians are one of the five groups of vertebrates (with fish, reptiles, birds and mammals). Their life cycle is a famous example of metamorphosis: egg (frogspawn) → tadpole with gills → froglet → adult frog with lungs. Their skin must stay damp, and they are sensitive to pollution, so they show how healthy an environment is. Phrases: amphibian life cycle, amphibians and reptiles.

### Examples

- A frog is an amphibian. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#x1)
- Amphibians start life in water and can later live on land. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#x2)
- Tadpoles breathe with gills, but adult frogs breathe with lungs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#x3)
- Newts and salamanders are amphibians too. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#x4)
- Amphibians have smooth, moist skin, not scales. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#x5)
- We found frogspawn in the pond — amphibian eggs! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#x6)
- Some frog skins are poisonous, so don't lick or touch your mouth after holding one. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/#x7)

### Note

Common trap: amphibians are NOT reptiles. Reptiles (snakes, lizards, turtles) have dry, scaly skin and lay shelled eggs on land; amphibians have moist skin and lay jelly eggs in water. «Amphi-» means «both» — both water and land. Say «an amphibian».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «amphibian» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/amphibian/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«amphibian» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/amphibian.html) on Mova free.