[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/tadpole.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / tadpole

[← T](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/T/)

# tadpole

«tadpole» in Mova's school dictionary: **a young frog or toad that has just hatched from an egg…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a tadpole, tadpoles)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A tadpole is a young frog or toad that has just hatched from an egg; it lives in water, has a tail and breathes with gills. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#m1)

2) Informally, a tadpole can mean a very small child. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science, the frog life cycle is: frogspawn (eggs) → tadpole → froglet → adult frog. Tadpoles slowly grow back legs, then front legs, lose their tails and grow lungs; this change is called metamorphosis. Pond-dipping lessons often look for tadpoles. Phrases: from tadpole to frog.

### examples

- We saw tadpoles swimming in the pond. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x1)
- A tadpole turns into a frog. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x2)
- Tadpoles breathe with gills. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x3)
- The tadpole grew back legs first. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x4)
- Frogspawn hatches into tadpoles. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x5)
- We kept tadpoles in a tank at school and let them go as frogs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x6)
- Tadpoles eat tiny plants in the water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x7)
- The tadpole's tail slowly disappeared. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x8)
- Brer Possum, he got his belly full er 'simmons, en Brer Coon, he scoop up a 'bunnunce er frogs en tadpoles. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/#x9)

### note

Countable. Also called a polliwog in some parts of the USA. A tadpole is not a fish, even though it lives in water and has a tail. Metamorphosis means a big change in body shape.

### In the corpora

- [Tadpoles hatch after about 1 to 3 weeks, breathe with gills and swim with a tail, and grow faster in warmer water.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/48-life-cycles-metamorphosis/5/)
- [Tadpoles need their pond to grow, so frogspawn is left where it is.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/70-respecting-wild-animals/16/)
- [Look at wild frogs, lizards and tadpoles but leave them in their home; they usually die in captivity and some are protected.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/239-litter-and-caring-for-nature/16/)
- [A frog's life cycle is egg, tadpole, froglet and adult frog.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/25-life-cycles/6/)
- [Tadpoles live in water and breathe with gills.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/25-life-cycles/8/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «tadpole» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tadpole/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.