I. ˈpōl noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pāl stake, pole, from Latin palus stake; akin to Latin pangere to fix — more at pact
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : a long slender usually cylindrical object (as a length of wood)
b. : a shaft which extends from the front axle of a wagon between wheelhorses and by which the wagon is drawn : tongue
c. : a long staff of wood, metal, or fiberglass used in the pole vault
2. : a varying unit of length ; especially : one equal to a rod (16 1/2 feet or about 5 meters)
3. : a tree with a breast-high diameter of from 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters)
4. : the inside front row position on the starting line for a race
II. verb
( poled ; pol·ing )
Date: 1573
transitive verb
1. : to act upon with a pole
2. : to impel or push with a pole
intransitive verb
1. : to propel a boat with a pole
2. : to use ski poles to gain speed
III. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin polus, from Greek polos pivot, pole; akin to Greek pelesthai to become, Sanskrit carati he moves, wanders — more at wheel
Date: 14th century
1. : either extremity of an axis of a sphere and especially of the earth's axis
2.
a. : either of two related opposites
b. : a point of guidance or attraction
3.
a. : either of the two terminals of an electric cell, battery, generator, or motor
b. : one of two or more regions in a magnetized body at which the magnetic flux density is concentrated
4. : either of two morphologically or physiologically differentiated areas at opposite ends of an axis in an organism or cell — see blastula illustration
5.
a. : the fixed point in a system of polar coordinates that serves as the origin
b. : the point of origin of two tangents to a conic section that determine a polar
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- poles apart