Where does the term "Frog" come from?

Question

(referring to the part of the bow that holds the hair to the adjusting portion of the bow)

Answer 1

I confess I have no idea, but this question has been asked before and the best "best answer" I've seen is as follows:

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

The grip of a violin bow (or bow of any other stringed instrument) is often mistakenly referred to as the 'frog'.

According to The Oxford Dictionary of Music, The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (vol 3, P-Z) and the Collins English Dictionary (3rd. ed.) the frog is in fact the nut in the heel of the bow which tightens the horsehair of the bow.

The reason the heel of the bow is often referred to as the frog is because of the manner in which the musician holds the bow. S/he holds the bow near the frog, and the index and second and third fingers rest on the stick while the thumb presses on the underside of the frog.

Something frogged is braced or supported firmly. Possibly derived from the Portuguese froco when used as fastener. Frogs are found in clothing. Military uniforms are often fastened with frogs. The use of frog to describe a fastener or an object used to hold fast (frogs on rigging, the frog nut on violin bows), is likely very old.

Source(s):
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node...
http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/reada...
http://p211.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgf...

Answer 2

from Francois Tourte....french violin maker?