'axolotl' originates from Nahuatl, specifically the word 'āxōlōtl', where 'ā-' meant 'water' and 'xōlōtl' meant 'dog' or 'monster'.

'axolotl' came into Spanish as 'ajolote' from Nahuatl 'āxōlōtl' and was later borrowed into English as 'axolotl'.

Initially the Nahuatl term referred to a 'water dog/monster' (a creature of the water); over time it became the proper name for the specific Mexican salamander now called 'axolotl' in English.