| 释义 |
‖ amphibia, n. pl.|æmˈfɪbɪə|
[L. amphibia (sing. amphibium), a. Gr. ἀµϕίβια, sing. ἀµϕίβιον, living in both, and subst. (sc. animal, ζῷον) an animal that lives in both elements; f. ἀµϕί both + βίος life. The sing. forms amphibion, amphibium, were formerly in use, for which, in sense 4, amphibian is now used.]
I. sing. amphibium, -on, with pl. -a, -ums.
1. A being that lives either in water or on land, or is equally at home in either element.
1609Holland Amm. Marcell. xxii. xv. 212 Some live on land and water both, whereupon they are named Amphibia. 1631Whimzies 85 A Sayler is..an amphibium that lives both on land and water. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. iv. 136 Like an Amphibion, He was equally active on water, and land. 1667Phil. Trans. II. 579 Could stay a great while under water, as Amphibiums use to do. 1865Esquiros Cornwall 172 The boat can travel both on land and sea like Amphibia.
2. fig. A being of doubtful or ambiguous position.
1645Whaly Serm. in Southey Comm.-Pl. Bk. ii. (1849) 6 Ask these amphibia what names they would have. What, are you papists? no..are you protestants? no. c1670Marvell Unfort. Lover Wks. III. 243 He both consumed, and increas'd: And languished with doubtful breath Th' amphibium of life and death.
3. A being having a double existence. rare.
1823Lamb Elia, Child Angel 472 Humility and Aspiration went on even-paced in the instruction of the glorious Amphibium.
II. pl. only.
4. Zool.
a. Applied by Linnæus to Reptiles in the wider sense (including Reptiles and Amphibia of mod. naturalists). Obs.
b. By Cuvier to a tribe of Mammals including seals and their allies.
c. By modern zoologists since Macleay (c1819) to the fourth great division of Vertebrata, intermediate between reptiles and fishes, which in their early state breathe by gills like fishes, as frogs, newts, etc.
a.1753Chambers Cycl. Supp., Amphibia..a class of animals, whose essential characters are, that they have either a naked, or else a scaly body..their teeth being all sharp and pointed, and without radiated fins.
b.1833Sir C. Bell Hand 109 In the true Amphibia..we have the feet contracted..and the fingers webbed and converted into fins.
c.1825J. Gray (title) Synopsis of the Genera of Reptiles and Amphibia. 1841Penny Cycl. XIX. 407/1 Gray..considers the Reptiles, or scaly-skinned group, and the Amphibia, or naked-skinned group, as distinct classes. 1859Carpenter Anim. Phys. ii. (1872) 90 Many Zoologists range the Frogs and their allies in a separate class under the name of Amphibia. 1870Rolleston Anim. Life Introd. 61 Amphibia..cold-blooded Vertebrata..provided with gills for aquatic in addition to lungs for aerial respiration. |