Tadpole (noun)

A young amphibian in the stage of development after hatching from an egg and before metamorphosis, when it typically has a flattened body, gills, and a tail.

Origin:

Early 17th century: from tad (representing a child"s pronunciation of "toad") + pole.

Examples:

1. The pond was full of tadpoles swimming around.
2. The tadpole's tail will eventually shrink and be replaced by legs.
3. The tadpole is the young stage of a frog.
4. I caught a tadpole in the stream and put it in a jar to observe its metamorphosis.
5. Tadpoles grow into frogs after a few weeks, shedding their tails and developing legs.