Meaning

noun a newt in its terrestrial stage of development

originFrom Middle English eft, from Old English eft, æft, from Proto-West Germanic *afti, from Proto-Germanic *afti. Cognate with Old Saxon eft, aft, eht (“again, afterwards”), Middle Low German echt (“again, afterward”). Compare English after, aft.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0