pole

¹ American  

[pohl] / poʊl /

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.

8. Crystallography.  a line perpendicular to a crystal face and passing through the crystal center.

---

idioms

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

   In education and background they were poles apart.

pole ² American  

[pohl] / poʊl /

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.

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, poling

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, poling

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

   to pole down the river.

idioms

1. 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.

Pole ³ American  

[pohl] / poʊl /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Poland.

---

Pole ⁴ American  

[pohl] / poʊl /

noun

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

---

pole ¹ British  

/ 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. having widely divergent opinions, tastes, etc

11. throughout the entire world

---

Pole ² British  

/ pəʊl /

noun

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

---

Pole ³ British  

/ pəʊl /

noun

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

---

pole ⁴ British  

/ 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. nautical (of a sailing vessel) with no sails set

7. 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 Scientific  

/ 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. Geography  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.

---

pole More Idioms  

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

---

Other Word Forms

• poleless adjective
• unpoled adjective

Etymology

Origin of pole¹

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

Origin of pole¹

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

Example Sentences

According to Nasa, it comes roughly every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip - the Earth equivalent would be the North and South poles swapping positions.

From BBC

The Briton said he went into the final session that set the grid for the Qatar Grand Prix feeling "convinced I would have been on pole".

From BBC

Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position for the penultimate race of the Formula One season when he edged team-mate and title rival Lando Norris as time expired in Saturday's qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix.

From Barron's

Outside a closed church in the area, a cut cable recently hung on a pole, with fiber-optic wires dangling on a tree.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hong Kong is famous for its use of the scaffolding, which is erected by tying bamboo poles together with nylon fasteners.

From BBC

Related Words

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