Animal Names · Entry
Newt
Middle English (from 'an ewt')
“originally simply 'ewt', a small lizard-like amphibian”
Where it comes from
a misdivision of 'an ewt' into 'a newt'
Fun Fact
The word 'newt' arose from a common linguistic error in which the 'n' from the article 'an' was mistakenly absorbed into the following word.