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Synonyms

polliwog

American  
[pol-ee-wog] / ˈpɒl iˌwɒg /
Or pollywog

noun

  1. a tadpole.


polliwog British  
/ ˈpɒlɪˌwɒɡ /

noun

  1. dialect another name for tadpole

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of polliwog

First recorded in 1400–50; variant of polliwig, earlier polwigge, late Middle English polwygle; poll 1, wiggle

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Among the masses of fauna, the pigeon occupies a rung on the human scale of fuzzy affection somewhere between a common garden slug and the lesser polliwog.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2021

Ancestors of the newt, the polliwog, the lizard and the water snake.

From Time Magazine Archive

By comparison, Klete Keller, America's best 400-m man, and no polliwog, swam 3:47.18 last month--a new U.S. record.

From Time Magazine Archive

He envisioned the snug Aircar as every man's airplane, affectionately called it his polliwog.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Good-bye!" wept the brave little polliwog, wriggling with feeling, and groaning some.

From St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. V, August, 1878, No 10. Scribner's Illustrated by Various