Anuran

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈnjʊəɹ(ə)n/

Definitions

1. A tailless amphibian belonging to the order that includes frogs and toads
2. An amphibian without a tail that is classified in the order containing both frogs and toads
3. A member of the group of tailless amphibians that encompasses species such as frogs and toads

Etymology: The word is a coinage from Greek roots meaning "without tail," and it is named for the animals' most visible shortcut. Its building blocks are the Greek prefix "an-", meaning "lacking," and "ourá", meaning "tail," which together describe frogs and toads, the creatures that lose their tails as they mature from tadpoles. The Greek pieces were assembled in New Latin, the scholarly language of naturalists, to name the order of amphibians. The name could have come from New Latin "Anoura" or "Anura," which were used for the group, or from the French "Anoures," used for a family of these animals. The ending "-an" marks the word as belonging to or relating to that group, so the term is essentially a label for "member of the tailless order."