newt

 
Pronunciation: /njuːt/

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.
    • Triturus and other genera, family Salamandridae: numerous species

Origin:

late Middle English: from an ewt (ewt from Old English efeta: see eft), interpreted (by wrong division) as a newt