Word of the Day

polliwog \POL-ee-wog\,
noun:
a tadpole.

“Why, less than nothing, my furry polliwog!” chugged the frog, amused.
-- Tad Williams, "Tailchaser's Song," 2000

She had begun life as a polliwog in the womb. She remembered the lesson in school again before she had quit.
-- Diane Glancy, "Trigger Dance," 1990

Polliwog was originally a combination of the words poll and wiggle. The word poll referred to a head. With the association of the verb wiggle, the portmanteau closely describes the shape and behavior of a polliwog.

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