pole
1[ pohl ]
/ poʊl /
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noun
verb (used with object), poled, pol·ing.
verb (used without object), poled, pol·ing.
to propel a boat, raft, etc., with a pole: to pole down the river.
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Idioms about pole
- Nautical. (of a sailing ship) with no sails set, as during a violent storm.
- stripped; naked; destitute: The thugs robbed him and left him under bare poles.
under bare poles,
Origin of pole
1First recorded before 1050; Middle English pol(e), polle, Old English pāl, from Latin pālus “wooden post, stake”; see pale2
OTHER WORDS FROM pole
poleless, adjectiveun·poled, adjectiveOther definitions for pole (2 of 4)
pole2
[ pohl ]
/ poʊl /
noun
Origin of pole
2First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pol(e), polus, from Latin polus, from Greek pólos “pivot, axis, pole”
Other definitions for pole (3 of 4)
Pole1
[ pohl ]
/ poʊl /
noun
a native or inhabitant of Poland.
Other definitions for pole (4 of 4)
Pole2
[ pohl ]
/ poʊl /
noun
Reginald, 1500–58, English cardinal and last Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use pole in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for pole (1 of 4)
pole1
/ (pəʊl) /
noun
verb
Word Origin for pole
Old English pāl, from Latin pālus a stake, prop; see pale ²
British Dictionary definitions for pole (2 of 4)
pole2
/ (pəʊl) /
noun
Word Origin for pole
C14: from Latin polus end of an axis, from Greek polos pivot, axis, pole; related to Greek kuklos circle
British Dictionary definitions for pole (3 of 4)
Pole1
/ (pəʊl) /
noun
a native, inhabitant, or citizen of Poland or a speaker of Polish
British Dictionary definitions for pole (4 of 4)
Pole2
/ (pəʊl) /
noun
Reginald. 1500–58, English cardinal; last Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury (1556–58)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Scientific definitions for pole
pole
[ pōl ]
Mathematics
- Either of the points at which an axis that passes through the center of a sphere intersects the surface of the sphere.
- The fixed point used as a reference in a system of polar coordinates. It corresponds to the origin in the Cartesian coordinate system.
- Geography Either of the points at which the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the Earth's surface; the North Pole or South Pole.
- Either of the two similar points on another planet.
Physics A magnetic pole.
Electricity Either of two oppositely charged terminals, such as the two electrodes of an electrolytic cell or the electric terminals of a battery.
Biology
- Either of the two points at the extremities of the axis of an organ or body.
- Either end of the spindle formed in a cell during mitosis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with pole
pole
see low man on the totem pole; not touch with a ten-foot pole.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.