slender salamander
- noun
- /ˈslɛndər ˈsæləmændər/
- Specialized
:
salamandra delgada
- The slender salamander is often found hiding under rocks in the moist forest floor.
- California slender salamander
Examples
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These relatively slender salamanders absorb oxygen directly.
Blog text (17) -
Scientists study the slender salamander to understand its unique adaptations to living in dry environments.
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Many hikers keep an eye out for the slender salamander while exploring the Pacific coast trails.
Synonyms
A small thin salamander with very short legs that lives in western North America
A small thin salamander that looks like a worm and lives on the Pacific coast of the United States
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is transparently built from 'slender' (thin) + 'salamander' (a type of amphibian), so the meaning 'a thin/small salamander' is directly derivable from its parts. This simple adjective+noun composition is common cross-linguistically and would be comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Slender salamander is a name that describes the animal: slender means 'thin' and salamander is a small animal with wet skin, so the phrase creates the image of a thin little salamander. That's why it is used today for the small, thin salamanders you find hiding under rocks and leaves on the Pacific coast.