newt
Syllabification: (newt)
Pronunciation: /n(y)o͞ot/
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Definition of newt
noun
- a small, slender-bodied amphibian with lungs and a well-developed tail, typically spending its adult life on land and returning to water to breed.
- Notophthalmus, Taricha, and other genera, family Salamandridae: numerous species, including the red-spotted newt (N. viridescens viridescens) of eastern North America and the rough-skinned newt (T. granulosa) of the Pacific coast from southern Alaska to northern California
Origin:
late Middle English: from an ewt (ewt from Old English efeta: see eft), interpreted (by wrong division) as a newt