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polliwog

 [pol-ee-wog]   Origin

pol·li·wog

   [pol-ee-wog]
noun
a tadpole.
Also, pollywog.

Origin:
1400–50; variant of polliwig, earlier polwigge, late Middle English polwygle. See poll1, wiggle
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Polliwog is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
polliwog or pollywog (ˈpɒlɪˌwɒɡ)
 
—n
1.  dialect (Brit), (US), (Canadian) another name for tadpole
2.  informal Compare shellback a sailor who has not crossed the equator
 
[C15 polwygle; see poll, wiggle]
 
pollywog or pollywog
 
—n
 
[C15 polwygle; see poll, wiggle]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

polliwog
c.1440, polwygle, probably from pol "head" (see poll) + wiglen (see wiggle). Modern spelling is 1830s, replacing earlier polwigge.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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