bufo

Senso

Concetti

sinonimi

Traduzioni

Notes

Extra tools

(Inglese)

a toad

Pronunciato come (IPA)

[ˈbuː.foː]

Probably loaned from a different Italic language such as Oscan, where the word could have referred to any creeping small animal such as a hamster. The connection with Proto-Slavic *žaba (“toad”) is uncertain, as the initial vowel cannot reflect a common Indo-European origin. Per Vasmer cognate with Latin bōs, bovis, reflecting an ancient folk belief that toads — like other animals — were thought to steal milk from livestock. Compare typologically Latin caprimulgus, Proto-Slavic *(s)mъlžь (< Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ-, whence also English milk).