bufo

Meaning

a toad

Concepts

toad

frog

🐸

jester

clown

lobster

🦞

anuran

joker

Synonyms

rana

🐸

rana rubeta

rāna

būfo

rubeta

buffo

Translations

crapaud

sapo

Kröte

gripau

rospo

sapo

φρύνος

pad

🛣️

bàbi

kara kurbağası

علجوم

عُلْجُوم

βάτραχος

Froschlurch

Pronounced as (IPA)

[ˈbuː.foː]

Etymology

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).