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tadpole

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tad⋅pole

[tad-pohl]
–noun
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.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME tad(de)pol, equiv. to tad(de) toad + pol poll 1 (head)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tad·pole   (tād'pōl')   


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n.  The limbless aquatic larva of a frog or toad, having gills and a long flat tail. As the tadpole approaches the adult stage, legs and lungs develop, and the tail gradually disappears. Also called polliwog.

[Middle English taddepol : tadde, tode, toad; see toad + pol, head; see poll.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tadpole 
c.1400, from tadde "toad" (see toad) + pol "head" (see poll).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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