Today we went full-on pond philologists. A little ribbit popped off in the puddle and we thought... hang on, where does the word “frog” actually come from?

This word is old-school in the best way. We’re talking proper Old English here, back when everyone was speaking something that sounds like a different language entirely.

Where does the word “frog” come from?

From Old English frogga, which might be connected to the Proto-Germanic root meaning “to hop”. Makes sense, right? You see something small and green absolutely launching itself across a pond and you go: “that’s a hopper, that is.” Some scholars also link it to Old Norse froskr and Old High German frosc, all cousins in the great Germanic frog family.

Magikito takeaway: knowing where a word comes from is like shining a little torch on your day. If something in your head feels a bit odd today, ask yourself “where is this coming from?” and watch the pond get a whole lot clearer.