frog

Meanings

Noun

• A small tailless amphibian of the order Anura that typically hops.
• 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.
• Road. Shorter, more common form of frog and toad.
• The depression in the upper face of a pressed or handmade clay brick.
• An organ on the bottom of a horse’s hoof that assists in the circulation of blood.
• The part of a railway switch or turnout where the running-rails cross (from the resemblance to the frog in a horse’s hoof).
• A French person.
• A French-speaking person from Quebec.
• A leather or fabric loop used to attach a sword or bayonet, or its scabbard, to a waist or shoulder belt.
• An ornate fastener for clothing consisting of an oblong button (covered with netted thread), toggle, or knot, that fits through a loop.

Verb

• To hunt or trap frogs.
• To use a pronged plater to transfer (cells) to another plate.
• To spatchcock (a chicken).
• To ornament or fasten a coat, etc. with frogs.
• To unravel part of (a knitted garment) while knitting it in order to correct a mistake.

Origin

• {{multiple images
• |direction=vertical
• |image1=Agalychnis callidryas.jpg|caption1=A frog (amphibian, 1).
• |image2=Violin bow parts.jpg|caption2=The frog (2) of a violin bow.
• |image3=Hoof bottom view.jpg|caption3=The frog (5) of a horse's hoof (dark triangular portion of bottom of hoof).
• From Middle English frogge, from Old English frocga, from Proto-Germanic *fruþgô.
• From frog legs, stereotypical food of the French. Compare French rosbif, from roast beef, corresponding term for English, likewise based on stereotypical food; and Kraut for Germans.
• Unknown. Possibly borrowed from Portuguese froco, from Latin floccus.
• Supposedly from ribbit sounding similar to "rip it".