Etymology
Amphibian is derived from the Ancient Greek term ἀμφίβιος (amphíbios), which means "both kinds of life", amphi meaning "of both kinds" and bio meaning "life". The term was initially used as a general adjective for animals that could live on land or in water, including seals and otters. The word amphibian became restricted to the modern taxonomical meaning around 1600, with the taxon "Amphibia" first published in scientific classification circa 1819.
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Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)