frog

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

frog

Wikipedia

English Wikipedia has an article on:

frog (horse anatomy)

Wikipedia

English Wikipedia has an article on:

frog (railway switch component)

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɹɒɡ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /fɹɑɡ/, /fɹɔɡ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒɡ, -ɔːɡ

Etymology 1

A frog (amphibian, 1).

The frog (2) of a violin bow.

The frog (5) of a horse's hoof (dark triangular portion of bottom of hoof).

Some frog (6) designs ("part of railroad switch").

From Middle English frogge, from Old English frogga, from Proto-West Germanic *froggō (“frog”). Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk fraug (“frog”), Old Norse frauki. Related also to English frosk (“frog”), frosh (“frog”), and frock (“frog”).

Possibly related to Saterland Frisian Poage (“frog”), German Low German Pogg, Pogge (“frog”).

Alternative forms

• frock (dialectal)

Noun

frog (plural frogs)

2. Any of a class of small tailless amphibians of the order Anura that typically hop.

   Synonyms: (dialectal) frosh, (dialectal) frosk

   Coordinate terms: pad, paddock

   • 2008, Lich King, “Black Metal Sucks”, in Toxic Zombie Onslaught:

     Awesome leather armbands with spikes like two feet long / Hair is parted down the middle, frowning like a frog

4. (music) The part of a violin bow (or that of other similar string instruments such as the viola, cello and contrabass) located at the end held by the player, to which the horsehair is attached.
6. (Cockney rhyming slang) Road. Shorter, more common form of frog and toad.
8. The depression in the upper face of a pressed or handmade clay brick.
10. An organ on the bottom of a horse’s hoof that assists in the circulation of blood.

    Coordinate term: sole

12. (rail transport) The part of a railway switch or turnout where the running-rails cross (from the resemblance to the frog in a horse’s hoof).

    Synonym: common crossing

13. (fishing) A type of fishing lure that resembles a frog.
    • 1983, The Fisherman Who Laughed, page 40:

      `What you need are frogs,' said the veteran. `Fish them at night. There's nothing like them on big cork floats.'

14. (politics, slang, derogatory, Malaysia) Defector: politician who switches to a different political party.

Derived terms

Related terms

• frosh (dialectal)

Descendants

• → Esperanto: frogo
• → Hawaiian: poloka
• → Irish: frog

Translations

See also

Verb

frog (third-person singular simple present frogs, present participle frogging, simple past and past participle frogged)

1. To hunt or trap frogs.
2. (transitive, biology) To use a pronged plater to transfer (cells) to another plate.
3. (transitive, cooking) To spatchcock (a chicken).

Derived terms

• frog stitch

Etymology 2

From frog legs, stereotypical food of the French. Compare French rosbif (“English person”), from roast beef, corresponding term for the English, likewise based on stereotypical food; and Kraut for Germans.

Noun

frog (plural frogs, feminine frogette)

1. (offensive) A French person.

   Synonyms: baguette, cheese-eating surrender monkey, Frencher, Frenchy

   • 1982 November 18, Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, “The Challenge”, in Yes, Minister, season 3, episode 2, spoken by Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne):

     Yes. Can't trust the frogs.

2. (Canada, offensive) A French-speaking person from Quebec.

Alternative forms

• Frog

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• Frenchie

Further reading

• “frog”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Etymology 3

Unknown. Possibly borrowed from Portuguese froco (“flock”), from Latin floccus (“flock”).

Noun

frog (plural frogs)

2. A leather or fabric loop used to attach a sword or bayonet, or its scabbard, to a waist or shoulder belt.
3. An ornate fastener for clothing consisting of an oblong button (covered with netted thread), toggle, or knot, that fits through a loop.
   • 1844, Alexander Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo:

     The visitor was about fifty-two years of age, dressed in one of the green surtouts, ornamented with black frogs, which have so long maintained their popularity all over Europe.

4. A device used to secure stems in a floral arrangement, also called a flower frog or kenzan.

Translations

Verb

frog (third-person singular simple present frogs, present participle frogging, simple past and past participle frogged)

1. To ornament or fasten a coat, etc. with frogs.

Etymology 4

Supposedly from ribbit (“sound made by a frog”) sounding similar to "rip it".

Verb

frog (third-person singular simple present frogs, present participle frogging, simple past and past participle frogged)

1. (transitive) To unravel part of (a knitted garment) while knitting it in order to correct a mistake.

Etymology 5

Probably a minced oath alteration of fuck.

Verb

frog (third-person singular simple present frogs, present participle frogging, simple past and past participle frogged)

1. (transitive, intransitive, slang, mildly vulgar) To have sex with; fuck.

   If you see a necktie hanging on the door, don't knock. I'll be in there frogging someone.

Further reading

• Category:frog on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “frog”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Irish

Etymology

Borrowed from English frog.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

frog m or f (genitive singular froig, nominative plural froganna)

1. frog (amphibian; organ in a horse’s foot)

Declension

Derived terms

Mutation

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “frog”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Entries containing “frog” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “frog” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Volapük

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

frog (nominative plural frogs)

1. frog (amphibian)

Declension

See also

• bufod (“toad”)
• mafib (“amphibian”)
• nim (“animal”)
• rosip (“toad”)
• vatanim (“aquatic animal”)