Definition of triton
- n. - A fabled sea demigod, the son of Neptune and Amphitrite,
and the trumpeter of Neptune. He is represented by poets and painters
as having the upper part of his body like that of a man, and the lower
part like that of a fish. He often has a trumpet made of a shell.
- n. - Any one of many species of marine gastropods belonging to
Triton and allied genera, having a stout spiral shell, often handsomely
colored and ornamented with prominent varices. Some of the species are
among the largest of all gastropods. Called also trumpet shell, and sea
trumpet.
- n. - Any one of numerous species of aquatic salamanders. The
common European species are Hemisalamandra cristata, Molge palmata, and
M. alpestris, a red-bellied species common in Switzerland. The most
common species of the United States is Diemyctylus viridescens. See
Illust. under Salamander.