/ ˈtædpəʊl; NAmE -poʊl/ ( NAmE also polli·wog ) noun
a small creature with a large head and a small tail, that lives in water and is the young form of a frog or toad
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WORD ORIGIN
late 15th cent.: from Old English tāda toad + poll head (probably because the tadpole seems to consist of a large head and a tail in its early development stage).