What does polliwog mean?
Polliwog is chiefly a North American term for a tadpole, the young aquatic stage of a frog or toad. Before undergoing metamorphosis, a tadpole has a tail and gills and lives in water, where it develops into a small froglet. The word has an informal, playful character and is also used for a traditional game in which participants hop from one numbered lily pad to another while trying not to land in the water. In that sense, a polliwog race commonly appears at fairs, camps, and children's events. Although “tadpole” is the more widely understood and neutral term in British as well as American English, “polliwog” remains especially familiar in the United States and Canada. The two names are effectively interchangeable for the animal, with “polliwog” often chosen for its humorous sound and associations with childhood.
nounA polliwog is a tadpole, the aquatic larval stage of a frog or toad. The word can also denote a traditional hopping game played across a course of numbered lily pads.
- A tadpole, especially a frog's aquatic larval form.
- A traditional game in which players hop from one numbered lily pad to another while trying to keep their feet dry.
"A polliwog wriggled beneath the lily pads at the edge of the pond."
"The children searched the pond for polliwogs beneath the weeds."
"At the summer fair, teams competed in a polliwog race across floating lily pads."
The standard plural is polliwogs.
"Several polliwogs disappeared into the reeds."
Before becoming a frog, a polliwog is a tadpole—and the word also lends its name to a famously splashy hopping game.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does polliwog come from?
Polliwog developed in North American English as a playful form of pollywog, itself used for a tadpole. The internal division of the word has not been securely established, and proposals connecting its elements to “poll” and “wig” are generally regarded as folk etymology. The word was later applied to a hopping game played across lily pads.
Related word forms
How polliwog is actually used
Polliwog is most common in North American English and has a playful, informal tone. The spelling pollywog is also established, particularly in the United States.
Easily confused with polliwog
Polliwog and pollywog are spelling variants of the same North American word for a tadpole.