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leap·frog

(lēpfrôg′, -frŏg′)

A game in which one player kneels or bends over while the next in line leaps over that player.

v. leap·frogged, leap·frog·ging, leap·frogs

v. tr.

1. To jump over (someone) in leapfrog.

2. To advance or progress beyond (a competitor or an obstacle, for example) in dramatic fashion: hoping to leapfrog the competition with new technology.

3. To advance (two military units) by engaging one with the enemy while moving the other to a position forward of the first unit.

v. intr.

1. To move forward in leapfrog.

2. To move or progress in a discontinuous way: The virus leapfrogged from town to town.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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