salamander

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsæləˌmændə/, /ˈsæləˌmɑːndə/ (UK); /ˈsæləˌmændɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English salamandre,^[2][3][4][5] from Old French salamandre,^[2][3][4] from Latin salamandra,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek σαλαμάνδρα (salamándra),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} a word probably of Eastern origin, or, according to Beekes, Pre-Greek.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A legendary lizard-like animal believed to live in fire or to withstand it (1340).^[3][4][7]

Semantic evolution

Aristotle and especially Pliny spread the belief in an animal that thrives in fire and puts it out.^[4] The name was applied to the real tailed amphibians from 1611,^[3][4][7] to a spirit living in fire in the system of Paracelsus (1657),^[7][5] and to various objects used in or resisting fire, such as a poker, a portable stove and an iron plate for browning food.^[7][2][5][6]

Timeline

• 1340 – a legendary fire-dwelling lizard.^[3][7]
• 1611 – a tailed amphibian.^[3][7]
• 1657 – a spirit living in fire.^[7]
• 1857 – verb, to live amid fire.^[7]
• 1878 – verb, to brown with a salamander.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of many small amphibians of the order Caudata, resembling lizards but with soft, moist, scaleless skin.
2. A mythical lizard-like creature believed able to live in fire.
3. In the theory of Paracelsus, a spirit inhabiting fire.
4. A portable stove used to heat or dry buildings under construction.
5. A metal utensil or overhead broiler used to brown food.
6. A mass of solidified metal left in the hearth of a blast furnace.

Word family

• salamandrine
• salamanderlike
• salamandroid
• gerrymander
• mole salamander
• spotted salamander
• tiger salamander

Related words

• newt
• eft
• sylph

Usage notes

Random House refers the mythical sense to its synonym note at sylph.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press