polliwog

or pol·ly·wog

[ pol-ee-wog ]
See synonyms for polliwog on Thesaurus.com
noun

Origin of polliwog

1
First recorded in 1400–50; variant of polliwig, earlier polwigge, late Middle English polwygle; see origin at poll1, wiggle

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How to use polliwog in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for polliwog

polliwog

pollywog

/ (ˈpɒlɪˌwɒɡ) /


noun
  1. British dialect, US and Canadian another name for tadpole

  2. informal a sailor who has not crossed the equator: Compare shellback

Origin of polliwog

1
C15 polwygle; see poll, wiggle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012