an animal like a lizard, with short legs and a long tail, that is an amphibian (= lives on both land and in water) 蝾螈(两栖动物,形似蜥蜴) Topics Animalsc2Word OriginMiddle English (originally referring to a mythical lizard-like creature said to live in fire): from Old French salamandre, via Latin from Greek salamandra. The current sense dates from the early 17th cent.