The frog-and-toad order whose name literally means “without tail” is Anura.
Anura comes from Ancient Greek: the privative prefix a- means “without,” while oura means “tail.” The name refers to the adult body plan of frogs and toads, which lacks the external tail seen in salamanders and many other amphibians. Frogs do have tails as tadpoles, but the larval tail is resorbed during metamorphosis.
Anura is one of the three living amphibian orders. The other two are Urodela, the salamander group, and Gymnophiona, the limbless caecilians. Biologically, all members of Anura are frogs, even though everyday English often separates “frogs” from “toads.” In taxonomy, “true toads” specifically belong to the family Bufonidae.
The tailless name is useful but not a perfect description of every life stage. A few unusual frogs retain tail-like structures or specialized appendages, including the male-tailed frog, whose appendage assists internal fertilization in fast-moving water. Still, Anura remains the accepted order name for the vast modern radiation of frogs and toads.