Tadpole — Tad pole , n. [OE. tadde toad (AS. t[=a]die, t[=a]dige) + poll; properly, a toad that is or seems all head. See {Toad}, and {Poll}.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) The young aquatic larva of any amphibian. In this stage it breathes by means of external or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
tadpole — ► NOUN ▪ the aquatic larva of an amphibian such as a frog or toad, having gills and a tail and lacking legs until the later stages of its development. ORIGIN from an Old English word meaning «toad» + POLL(Cf. ↑poll) (probably because the tadpole… … English terms dictionary
tadpole — (n.) c.1400, from tadde toad (see TOAD (Cf. toad)) + pol head (see POLL (Cf. poll) (n.)) … Etymology dictionary
tadpole — [tad′pōl΄] n. [ME taddepol < tadde, toad + poll, head, hence, toad that seems all head] 1. the larva of certain amphibians, as frogs and toads, having gills and a tail and living in water: as it matures, the gills usually are lost and legs… … English World dictionary
tadpole — /tad pohl/, n. the aquatic larva or immature form of frogs and toads, esp. after the development of the internal gills and before the appearance of the forelimbs and the resorption of the tail. [1400 50; late ME tad(de)pol, equiv. to tad(de) TOAD … Universalium
tadpole — tad·pole (tăd’pōl′) n. ▸ The aquatic larva of a frog or toad, having gills, a long, laterally compressed tail, and in early stages, no limbs. During metamorphosis of a tadpole into an adult, legs and lungs develop, and the tail gradually… … Word Histories
Tadpole — A tadpole or polliwog (also pollywog, polliwig, [ [http://www.onelook.com/?other=web1913 w=Polliwig Polliwig in Webster s Unabridged Dictionary] ] , polewig, or polwig [http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=polwig Polwig in Webster… … Wikipedia
tadpole — UK [ˈtædˌpəʊl] / US [ˈtædˌpoʊl] noun [countable] Word forms tadpole : singular tadpole plural tadpoles a small animal that lives in water and develops into a frog … English dictionary
tadpole — [15] A tadpole is etymologically a ‘toad head’. The word was coined from Middle English tadde ‘toad’ and pol ‘head’ (ancestor of modern English poll ‘voting’, historically a counting of ‘heads’). Tadpoles, with their moonlike faces appearing to… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
tadpole — A man who is dating a woman considerably older then himself. Look at Betty, she s landed herself a tadpole … Dictionary of american slang
