Etymograph

English

frogbit

From frog + bit, perhaps to explain the notched petal tips.

A compound of frog + bit

Proto-Indo-European *prew- ‘to jump’

Proto-West Germanic *froggō

Old English frocga

Middle English frogge ‘a frog or toad’

English frog

Middle English bitte

English bit

The story

From frog + bit, perhaps to explain the notched petal tips.

Today it means

noun Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, with roundish leaves and small white flowers. It is free-floating.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / frogbit