salamander en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈsæləˌmændɚ/ (General-American)
- /ˈsæləˌmændə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈsæləˌmɑːndə/ (Received-Pronunciation, obsolete)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English salamandre, from Anglo-Norman salamandre, from Latin salamandra, from Ancient Greek σαλαμάνδρα (salamándra), of uncertain origin (per Beekes, likely Pre-Greek); possibly of Iranian origin, see Persian سمندر (samandar) for more information.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) A long, slender, chiefly terrestrial amphibian of the order Caudata, superficially resembling a lizard.
[…]and most plainly Pierius, whose words in his hieroglyphicks are these: "Whereas it is commonly said that a salamander extinguisheth fire, we have found by experience that it is so far from quenching hot coals, that it dyeth immediately therein."
1672, Thomas Browne, “Pseudodoxia Epidemica”, in Simon Wilkin, editor, The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, volume 1, published 1852, page 292:Devils Lake is where I began my career as a limnologist in 1964, studying the lake’s neotenic salamanders and chironomids, or midge flies.[…]The Devils Lake Basin is an endorheic, or closed, basin covering about 9,800 square kilometers in northeastern North Dakota.
2012 January 14, Douglas Larson, “Runaway Devils Lake”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 23 May 2012, page 46:
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(countable, uncountable) A creature much like a lizard that is resistant to and lives in fire (in which it is often depicted in heraldry), hence the elemental being of fire.
"There is a vulgar error," says the author of the Brief Natural History, p. 91, "that a salamander lives in the fire. Yet both Galen and Dioscorides refute this opinion; and Mathiolus, in his Commentaries upon Dioscorides, a very famous physician, affirms of them, that by casting of many a salamander into the fire for tryal he found it false. The same experiment is likewise avouched by Joubertus."
1849, John Brand, Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great Britain: Chiefly Illustrating the Origin of Our Vulgar and Provincial Customs, Ceremonies, and Superstitions, volume 3, page 372:“Not a chance, Ranger,” Bob Mason was speaking. “This little cuss is a salamander. He's been travelling through fire all day and there isn't a blister on him. …”
1920, Peter B. Kyne, chapter XI, in The Understanding Heart:
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(countable, uncountable) A metal utensil with a flat head which is heated and put over a dish to brown the top.
The salamander, a fairly long metal utensil with a flat rounded head, was left in the fire until red hot and then used to brown the top of a dish without further cooking.
1977, Richard Daunton-Fear, Penelope Vigar, Australian Colonial Cookery (discussing 19th century cookery), Rigby, 1977, page 41
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(countable, uncountable) A small broiler (North America) or grill (Britain) that heats the food from above, used in professional cookery primarily for browning.
Overfired grills, or salamanders, can, in addition, be used for making toast and salamandering. They have the heat source above the food[…]. This may comprise sets of burners firing below refractory or metal frets, or surface combustion plaques.
2006, Frank Saxon, editor, Tolley's Industrial and Commercial Gas Installation Practice [Gas Service Technology; 3], 4th edition, Oxford; Burlington, Mass.: Elsevier Newnes, →ISBN, page 35:The chef first put the steak under the salamander to sear the outside.
- (archaic, countable, uncountable) A pouched gopher (Geomys pinetis etc.)
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(UK, countable, obsolete, uncountable) A large poker.
Multitudes had little Tin Kettles in their Houses, with Small-coal kindled, to light their Pipes withal; though in some places they use Candles, in others Salamanders
1698, William King, A journey to London […] , translation of original by Samuel Sorbière:
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(uncountable) Solidified material in a furnace hearth.
Salamander tapping is done at the salamander base, which is the bottom-most level of the liquid pool in a blast furnace hearth. A high degree of precision is required to tap the salamander base effectively
2019, Ian Cameron, Mitren Sukhram, Kyle Lefebvre, Blast Furnace Ironmaking:
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(countable, uncountable) A portable stove used to heat or dry buildings under construction.
The necessary fires alone — the salamanders and tinner's pots — had caused dozens of small blazes.
2003, Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City, Vintage Books, page 192:
- (UK, countable, obsolete, slang, uncountable) A fire-eater (performer who pretends to swallow fire).
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| salamanders | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Strinati's cave salamander · alpine salamander · frogamander · spectacled salamander · gerrymander · spring salamander · limestone salamander · spotted salamander · marbled salamander · lungless salamander · giant salamander · klip-salamander · salamanderlike · water-salamander · zigzag salamander · land-salamander · salamander cloth · seal salamander · fire salamander · cave salamander · longtail salamander · northern slimy salamander · Korean crevice salamander · Larch Mountain salamander · Abe's salamander · mole salamander · tiger salamander · ravine salamander · salamanderfish · Japanese giant salamander
Hypernyms
urodelan (amphibian) · caudatan (amphibian)
Hyponyms
ask · siredon (larval or neotenic) · newt · eft
Relateds
salamandroid · salamandrid · salamandrine · salamandric · salamandriform · salamandrian · salamandrous
Synonyms
Translations (104)
he סלמנדרה (amphibian) · hu szalamandra (mythical creature) · mk салама́ндер (amphibian) · de Salamander (amphibian) · cmn 火蜥蜴 (mythical creature) · tr semender (mythical creature) · pl salamandra (amphibian) · uk салама́ндра (amphibian) · da salamander (amphibian) · as চেলামেণ্ডাৰ (amphibian) · myv пуловатракш (amphibian) · cy salamandr (amphibian) · es salamandra (small broiler) · sq salamandër (amphibian) · uz salamandar (amphibian) · fa سمندر (amphibian) · eo salamandro (mythical creature) · cmn 曬爐 /晒炉 (small broiler) · he סלמנדרה (mythical creature) · nv tsxilghááh (amphibian) · ast sacavera (amphibian) · de Salamander (metal utensil) · it salamandra (metal utensil) · ka სალამანდრა (amphibian) · es salamandra (mythical creature) · gl píntega (amphibian) · ca salamandra (amphibian) · my ဆလမန္ဒာကောင် (amphibian) · ko 도롱뇽 (amphibian) · ja 山椒魚 (amphibian) · el σαλαμάνδρα (amphibian) · sk mlok (amphibian) · it salamandra (small broiler) · be салама́ндра (amphibian) · hu szalamander (mythical creature) · es salamandra (amphibian) · vi kì giông (amphibian) · as মাগুৰ ভেকুলী (amphibian) · grc σαλαμάνδρα (amphibian) · vo salmun (amphibian) · sv salamander (mythical creature) · sv salamander (small broiler) · ms semandar (amphibian) · ja 井守 (amphibian) · ja サラマンダー (mythical creature) · cmn 蠑螈 /蝾螈 (amphibian) · pl salamandra (mythical creature) · el σαλαμάνδρα (mythical creature) · gv salamander (amphibian) · sv salamander (amphibian) · de Salamander (mythical creature) · pdt Äajdakjs (amphibian) · fr salamandre (amphibian) · sh даждевњак (amphibian) · de Salamander (small broiler) · is salamandra (amphibian) · uz salamandra (amphibian) · hu szalamandra (amphibian) · nl salamander (amphibian) · he סלמנדרה (small broiler) · gd loisgean (amphibian) · ar سَمَنْدَل (amphibian) · ro salamandră (amphibian) · eu arrabio (amphibian) · bg салама́ндър (amphibian) · ga salamandar (amphibian) · lo ຊາລາແມນ (amphibian) · id salamander (amphibian) · gl salamántiga (amphibian) · bg дъждовник (amphibian) · it salamandra (mythical creature) · fi salamanteri (metal utensil) · la salamandra (amphibian) · sh daždevnjak (amphibian) · hy սալամանդր (amphibian) · gl saramaganta (amphibian) · ja 蠑螈 (amphibian) · hi सैलामैंडर (amphibian) · mic taqtaloq (amphibian) · fi salamanterigrilli (small broiler) · vi cá cóc (amphibian) · it salamandra (amphibian) · ru салама́ндра (mythical creature) · sk salamandra (amphibian) · pdt Äajdakjsel (amphibian) · th ซาลาแมนเดอร์ (amphibian) · mk до́ждовник (amphibian) · eo salamandro (amphibian) · fi salamanteri (mythical creature) · qu wata wata (amphibian) · cmn 面火爐 /面火炉 (small broiler) · pt salamandra (amphibian) · tr semender (amphibian) · ms salamander (amphibian) · fi salamanteri (amphibian) · cs salamandr (amphibian) · az salamandra (amphibian) · ru салама́ндра (amphibian) · lv salamandra (amphibian) · vec sarmèndoła (amphibian) · vec marisàndoła (amphibian) · sl močerad (amphibian) · tl bangkalang (amphibian) · lt gonys (amphibian)