Meanings
- alternativenonstandardnot comparablerarenow chiefly botanicalAlternative form of amphibious.First known use 19th c.
The Potamobiidæ lead a rather amphibic life and leave the water, in many cases, habitually.
1902, Arnold Edward Ortmann, The geographical distribution of freshwater decapods and its bearing upon ancient geography, page 3165 more examples
The effecting of the circulation of a serous fluid in insects and animalcules may be less rapid, in proportion to the minuteness of their bodies, than that of blood, particularly warm blood, (that of a warm-blooded or non-amphibic animal,) is always found to be [...].
1825, John Walker, The Lancet, page 712It is well I have not been hasty in carrying out the amphibic projectile, since naval tactics have in the meantime been quite revolutionized in consequence of the adoption of the Harvey torpedo and the boom torpedo, both of which call for fighting at close quarters.
1890, William Conant Church, The Life of John Ericsson: Volume II, page 159The plants are perennial aquatics, occurring both as true submerged hydrophytes and as land plants bound to an amphibic life in swamps and similar habitats.
1946, Henning Horn af Rantzien, Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift, page 406Relative rates of apparent CO₂ intake after different periods of submersion of terrestrial and amphibic lichens.
1973, Vernon Ahmadjian, Mason Hale, The Lichens, page 326The ecological impact of the construction of a dam concerns not only the aquatic region but also the amphibic and terrestrial environment of the new lake.
1991, Gerhard Schiller, Risto Lemmelä, Manfred Spreafico, Hydrology of Natural and Manmade Lakes, page 143
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekἀμφίβιος
- Englishamphibic
From Ancient Greek ἀμφίβιος (amphíbios) + -ic.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with amphibic
All rhymes →Cite this entry
amphibic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amphibic
“amphibic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amphibic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “amphibic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amphibic.
Source: amphibic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.