pole

¹

[ pohl ]

noun

1. a long, cylindrical, often slender piece of wood, metal, etc.:

   a telephone pole; a fishing pole.

2. Northeastern U.S. a long, tapering piece of wood or other material that extends from the front axle of a vehicle between the animals drawing it.
3. Nautical.
   1. a light spar.
   2. that part of a mast between the uppermost standing rigging and the truck.
4. the lane of a racetrack nearest to the infield; the inside lane. Compare post ¹( def 5 ).
5. a unit of length equal to 16½ feet (5 meters); a rod.
6. a square rod, 30¼ square yards (25.3 square meters).

verb (used with object)

, poled, pol·ing.

1. to furnish with poles.
2. to push, strike, or propel with a pole:

   to pole a raft.

3. Baseball. to make (an extra-base hit) by batting the ball hard and far:

   He poled a triple to deep right-center.

4. Metallurgy. to stir (molten metal, as copper, tin, or zinc) with poles of green wood so as to produce carbon, which reacts with the oxygen present to effect deoxidation.

verb (used without object)

, poled, pol·ing.

1. to propel a boat, raft, etc., with a pole:

   to pole down the river.

Pole

²

[ pohl ]

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Poland.

pole

³

[ pohl ]

noun

1. each of the extremities of the axis of the earth or of any spherical body.
2. Astronomy. celestial pole.
3. one of two opposite or contrasted principles or tendencies:

   His behavior ranges between the poles of restraint and abandon.

4. a point of concentration of interest, attention, etc.:

   The beautiful actress was the pole of everyone's curiosity.

5. Electricity, Magnetism. either of the two regions or parts of an electric battery, magnet, or the like, that exhibits electrical or magnetic polarity.
6. Cell Biology.
   1. either end of an ideal axis in a nucleus, cell, or ovum, about which parts are more or less symmetrically arranged.
   2. either end of a spindle-shaped figure formed in a cell during mitosis.
   3. the place at which a cell extension or process begins, as a nerve cell axon or a flagellum.
7. Mathematics.
   1. a singular point at which a given function of a complex variable can be expanded in a Laurent series beginning with a specified finite, negative power of the variable.
   2. origin ( def 6b ).
8. Crystallography. a line perpendicular to a crystal face and passing through the crystal center.

Pole

⁴

[ pohl ]

noun

1. Reginald, 1500–58, English cardinal and last Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury.

pole

¹

/ pəʊl /

noun

1. a long slender usually round piece of wood, metal, or other material
2. the piece of timber on each side of which a pair of carriage horses are hitched
3. another name for rod
4. horse racing
   1. the inside lane of a racecourse
   2. ( as modifier )

      the pole position

   3. one of a number of markers placed at intervals of one sixteenth of a mile along the side of a racecourse
5. nautical
   1. any light spar
   2. the part of a mast between the head and the attachment of the uppermost shrouds
6. under bare poles
   nautical (of a sailing vessel) with no sails set
7. up the pole informal.
   1. slightly mad
   2. mistaken; on the wrong track

verb

1. tr to strike or push with a pole
2. tr
   1. to set out (an area of land or garden) with poles
   2. to support (a crop, such as hops or beans) on poles
3. tr to deoxidize (a molten metal, esp copper) by stirring it with green wood
4. to punt (a boat)

Pole

²

/ pəʊl /

noun

1. PoleReginald15001558MEnglishRELIGION: cardinal Reginald. 1500–58, English cardinal; last Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury (1556–58)

Pole

³

/ pəʊl /

noun

1. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of Poland or a speaker of Polish

pole

⁴

/ pəʊl /

noun

1. either of the two antipodal points where the earth's axis of rotation meets the earth's surface See also North Pole South Pole
2. astronomy short for celestial pole
3. physics
   1. either of the two regions at the extremities of a magnet to which the lines of force converge or from which they diverge
   2. either of two points or regions in a piece of material, system, etc, at which there are opposite electric charges, as at the two terminals of a battery
4. maths an isolated singularity of an analytical function
5. biology
   1. either end of the axis of a cell, spore, ovum, or similar body
   2. either end of the spindle formed during the metaphase of mitosis and meiosis
6. physiol the point on a neuron from which the axon or dendrites project from the cell body
7. either of two mutually exclusive or opposite actions, opinions, etc
8. geometry the origin in a system of polar or spherical coordinates
9. any fixed point of reference
10. poles apart or poles asunder
    having widely divergent opinions, tastes, etc
11. from pole to pole
    throughout the entire world

pole

/ pōl /

1. Mathematics.
   1. Either of the points at which an axis that passes through the center of a sphere intersects the surface of the sphere.
   2. The fixed point used as a reference in a system of polar coordinates. It corresponds to the origin in the Cartesian coordinate system.
2. Geography.
   1. Either of the points at which the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the Earth's surface; the North Pole or South Pole.
   2. Either of the two similar points on another planet.
3. Physics.
   A magnetic pole.
4. Electricity.
   Either of two oppositely charged terminals, such as the two electrodes of an electrolytic cell or the electric terminals of a battery.
5. Biology.
   1. Either of the two points at the extremities of the axis of an organ or body.
   2. Either end of the spindle formed in a cell during mitosis.

Other Words From

• poleless adjective
• un·poled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pole¹

First recorded before 1050; Middle English pol(e), polle, Old English pāl, from Latin pālus “wooden post, stake”; pale ²

Origin of pole²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pol(e), polus, from Latin polus, from Greek pólos “pivot, axis, pole”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pole¹

Old English pāl, from Latin pālus a stake, prop; see pale ²

Origin of pole²

C14: from Latin polus end of an axis, from Greek polos pivot, axis, pole; related to Greek kuklos circle

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. poles apart / asunder, having widely divergent or completely opposite attitudes, interests, etc.:

   In education and background they were poles apart.

2. under bare poles,
   1. Nautical. (of a sailing ship) with no sails set, as during a violent storm.
   2. stripped; naked; destitute:

      The thugs robbed him and left him under bare poles.

More idioms and phrases containing pole

see low man on the totem pole ; not touch with a ten-foot pole .

Example Sentences

That frustrating late defeat against the Poles at Hampden is increasingly looking like a blow to the prospect of reaching a first World Cup since 1998, when Brown had the reins.

From BBC

When the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun, it is summer in the northern hemisphere.

From BBC

It is a three-mast boat, and we were cruising towards the North Pole.

From Salon

Since 2009, the International Pole Sports Federation and other organizations, have pushed to get pole dancing included in the Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times

In 1901, alongside explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he got closer to the South Pole than any other European explorer.

From BBC

Related Words

• beam
• flagpole
• leg
• mast
• rod
• stick