Pacific giant salamander
- noun
- /pəˈsɪfɪk ˈdʒaɪənt ˈsæləmændər/
- Specialized
:
salamandra gigante del Pacífico
- The Pacific giant salamander can grow up to 14 inches long.
Examples
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Researchers observed a Pacific giant salamander hiding under a log near the stream.
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Many hikers are surprised by the size of the Pacific giant salamander in the forests of Oregon.
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The Pacific giant salamander can reach lengths of up to seven inches in the wild.
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Many people are fascinated by the Pacific giant salamander.
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Many hikers are surprised by the size of the Pacific giant salamander in the forests of Oregon.
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Researchers observed a Pacific giant salamander hiding under a log near the stream.
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The Pacific giant salamander can grow up to 14 inches long.
Synonyms
A group of large salamanders that live in water in western North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pacific + giant + salamander
The phrase is a straightforward noun phrase built from geographical modifier + size adjective + animal noun, so its meaning — a notably large salamander from the Pacific region — is directly derivable from 'Pacific' (relating to the Pacific), 'giant' (very large), and 'salamander' (an amphibian). This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows regular English modifier + noun structure, making it easily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The compound noun Pacific giant salamander comes from the animal's place and size: Pacific shows it lives near the Pacific coast of North America and giant shows it is much larger than other salamanders, so the name means a 'big' salamander from the Pacific area.
