tode

See also: Tode, tõde, and tɔɖe

English

Pronunciation

Rhymes: -əʊd

Etymology 1

Possibly related to Low German todden (“to drag”).

Noun

tode (plural todes)

(US) A sled used for hauling logs.

Etymology 2

Possibly related to Low German todden (“to drag”).

Noun

tode (plural todes)

(obsolete) Clipping of tode-boat: a small fishing boat used in the Netherlands.

Anagrams

dote, toed

Middle English

Alternative forms

tad, tade, toade, toode
tote (Late Middle English); tadde (Southwest Midland)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English *tāde,^[1] a shortening of tādie, tādiġe, of uncertain origin.

Compared to Old Norse and modern Danish tudse (“toad”), but OED rejects this because the zero grade of ai is i, not u. Possibly from a common Proto-Germanic word *tod (“small”), compared to Proto-Germanic *tūdrijaz (“small, frail”) (modern English tidbit) or *taltōną (“to sway, dangle, hesitate”) (modern English toddle), referring to its short steps.^[2]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈtɔ̝ːd(ə)/
IPA^(key): /ˈtɑːdə/ (Early Middle English)
IPA^(key): /ˈtad(ə)/ (Southwest Midland)
IPA^(key): /taːd/ (Northern)

Noun

tode (plural todes or toden)

A toad (dry-skinned member of the order Anura)
The toad seen as a foul animal or creature of Hell.
(rare, derogatory) A sinful or loathsome person.
(rare, alchemy) The remnants of an element used in alchemical transmutation.

Descendants

English: toad
Middle Scots: tade, taid
- Scots: tade, taid, taed, ted

References

^ “tōde, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 29 April 2019.
^ Liberman, Anatoly (2008), “Toad”, in An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology: An Introduction, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 206.

[1] “tōde, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 29 April 2019.

[2] Liberman, Anatoly (2008), “Toad”, in An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology: An Introduction, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 206.

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