amphibius

Forms

amphibius (feminine amphibia, neuter amphibium); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀμφίβιος (amphíbios, “living a double life”).^[2][1][3] The Greek adjective is a compound of ἀμφί (amphí, “on both sides”) and βίος (bíos, “life”).^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Varro is the first to use it, in his work on farming, of the kind of bird that is not content with land alone but needs fishponds as well, which, he says, the lovers of Greek call amphibium.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed rare in Classical Latin.^[2] In Late Latin it was used as a noun for animals that live both on land and in water: Ammianus Marcellinus says such creatures are named amphibioe, Ambrose speaks of amphibia that live either in water or on land, and Isidore of Seville applies the name to seals, crocodiles and hippopotamuses, which can both walk on land and swim.^[5]

In British Medieval Latin it could also name a seal or a porpoise.^[7] English took the word over in the 17th century as amphibious and amphibian.^[3]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses amphibium of birds that need fishponds as well as land.^[5][4]
• c. 340–397 AD – Ambrose uses amphibia of creatures living in water or on land.^[5][4]
• c. 390 AD – Ammianus Marcellinus says animals living on land and in water are called amphibioe.^[5][4]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville counts seals, crocodiles and hippopotamuses among the amphibia.^[5][4]
• 1640s – English borrows the word as amphibious.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Amphibious, living both on land and in water.^[2][5][6]
2. (Late Latin, as a noun, neuter plural) Animals that live both on land and in water, such as seals and crocodiles.^[5]
3. (Medieval Latin, as a noun) A seal or a porpoise.^[7]

Related words

• English amphibious
• English amphibian

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press