Amphiuma Definition
ămfē-yo͝omə
noun
Any of several long slender salamanders of the genus Amphiuma of the southeast United States that in their adult stage have two pairs of very small nonfunctioning legs and breathe with lungs although they are aquatic.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
- blind eel
- congo eel
- congo-snake
pronoun
A taxonomic genus within the family Amphiumidae — salamanders called Congo snakes.
Wiktionary
Other Word Forms of Amphiuma
Noun
Singular:
amphiuma
Plural:
amphiumasOrigin of Amphiuma
-
New Latin Amphiuma genus name Greek amphi- amphi- Greek pneuma breath (so named by Alexander Garden, probably in the belief that the adults could breathe in water as well as in air) pneu- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
-
From Latin amphi- (“around, both”), and alteration of Ancient Greek πνεῦμα (pneuma, “breath”).
From Wiktionary
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