fire salamander
- noun
- /ˈfaɪər ˈsæləˌmændər/
- UK
:
salamandra de fuego
- The black body and bright yellow spots make the fire salamander easy to identify.
Examples
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We spotted a fire salamander sheltering beneath a damp log in the forest.
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Researchers studied the habitat requirements of the endangered fire salamander.
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The fire salamander is known for its striking appearance.
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Have you ever seen a fire salamander in the wild?
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The black body and bright yellow spots make the fire salamander easy to identify.
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Researchers studied the habitat requirements of the endangered fire salamander.
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We spotted a fire salamander sheltering beneath a damp log in the forest.
Synonyms
A black amphibian with yellow spots that lives in European forests
A European salamander with dark skin and bright yellow spots often called the fire salamander
A large black salamander with bright yellow spots that lives in European forests
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is partially compositional: a learner who knows 'fire' and 'salamander' can infer a salamander that is associated with or looks like fire (e.g., fiery coloration), so the general referent (a type of salamander) is recoverable. However, the precise biological sense — a specific European species characterized by dark skin with yellow spots — is not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so full understanding requires prior exposure or background knowledge.
Etymology
Fire salamander may get its name from its look: a dark salamander with bright yellow or orange patches that look like small fires on its skin. One popular story says people long ago thought salamanders could live in fire, so today fire salamander means 'a dark salamander with bright yellow spots'.
