tadpole

noun

tad·​pole ˈtad-ˌpōl 

: a larval amphibian

specifically : a frog or toad larva that has a rounded body with a long tail bordered by fins and external gills soon replaced by internal gills and that undergoes a metamorphosis to the adult

Illustration of tadpole

• tadpole in stages

Examples of tadpole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Looking like the cross between a spermatozoon and a tadpole, this needy, frail little infant is wrapped tightly in swaddling clothes, resting on the dresser and then the drawer of poor Jack Nance’s apartment in an industrial hellscape. —Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025

Some electric tadpoles are front-wheel-drive, via hub motors in the two front wheels. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2024

According to some accounts, the term mid jumped from weed slang to the mainstream in 2021, in reaction to one of the many overlong and underdeveloped albums that Drake—the Spotify era’s defining rapper—has released like so many tadpoles into a lake. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2024

Although adult frog fossils are difficult to find, tadpoles are even harder. —Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English taddepol, from tode toad + polle head

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tadpole

noun

tad·​pole ˈtad-ˌpōl 

: the larva of a frog or toad that has a rounded body and a long tail, breathes with gills, and lives in water

called also pollywog

Etymology

Middle English taddepol "tadpole," from tode "toad" and polle "head"

Word Origin

A young tadpole looks like a large head with a tail. In time it will develop back legs and then front legs. Finally it will lose its tail and become a toad or a frog. Our word for this immature form of a toad or frog comes from Middle English taddepol. This word was a combination of two others, tode, meaning "toad," and polle, meaning "head."