Toad
/toʊd/noun
A small, stout amphibian with dry, warty skin, usually associated with frogs.
Did you know?Old English had *tāde* / *tǣde* for a toad, and while the exact deepest origin is uncertain, the word is old enough to have traveled through centuries of folklore where toads became symbols of poison, witchcraft, and hidden power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tādijō / *tādō
“An ancestral Germanic word for a toad (reconstructed; exact form uncertain).”
Old English
OE
tāde / tǣde
“A toad.”
Middle English
ME
toode / tode
“A toad.”
Modern English
English
toad
“A small amphibian, especially one with drier, rougher skin than a frog.”