batrachian
English
Etymology
From New Latin Batrachia, former name of the zoological order Anura, from Ancient Greek βατράχεια (batrákheia), neuter plural of adjective from βάτραχος (bátrakhos, “frog”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bəˈtɹeɪkɪən/
Noun
batrachian (plural batrachians)
- (rare) A frog or toad.
- 1976, Kyril Bonfiglioli, Something Nasty in the Woodshed, Penguin, published 2001, page 421:
- The warmth of his defence of the toad led me to suspect uneasily that a close search of his quarters would pretty certainly reveal a comfortable vivarium somewhere, bursting with the little batrachians.
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Adjective
batrachian (comparative more batrachian, superlative most batrachian)
- Pertaining to or resembling a frog or toad.
- 1905, Eugene Field, Songs And Other Verses:
- Anon the minnow-bucket will emit '"batrachian"' sobs.
- 1939, Henry Miller, Tropic of Capricorn, Grove Press, published 1962, page 31:
- At this Lena smiled again with that mirthless batrachian grin.
- 1965, John Fowles, The Magus:
- His batrachian lips pursed into a smile, and he dug again into the honey.
- 2000 The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, "The Innsmouth Look"
- I dig her batrachian lips / Her bulbous eyes and scaly hips
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Synonyms
- anuran
Hypernyms
- lissamphibian
Hyponyms
- salientian
See also
- froggish
- froggy
- froglike
- frogly
- ranine
- toadish
- toadlike
- toadly