Webster's English Dictionary

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pole

1. pole \'po-l\ n [ME, fr. OE pa-l stake, pole, fr. L palus stake; akin to 
   L pa]ngere to fix - more at PACT 1a: a long slender usu. cylindrical 
   substance (as wood)  1b: a shaft which extends from the front axle of a 
   wagon between wheelhorse s and by which the wagon is held back : TONGUE 2a: 
   a varying unit of length; esp : one measuring 161/2  feet 2b: a unit of 
   area equal to a square rod or perch  3: a tree with a breast-high diameter 
   of from 4 to 12 inches  4: the inside position on a racetrack 
2. pole vt 1: to act upon with a pole  2: to impel or push with a pole  1: 
   to propel a boat with a pole  2: to use ski poles to gain speed 
3. pole n [ME pool, fr. L polus, fr. Gk polos pivot, pole; akin to Gk 
   (Xkyklos wheel - more at WHEEL 1: either extremity of an axis of a sphere 
   and esp. of the earth's axis  2a: either of two related opposites  2b: a 
   point of guidance or attraction  3a: one of the two terminals of an 
   electric cell, battery, or dynamo  3b: one of two or more regions in a 
   magnetized body at which the magnetic f lux density is concentrated 4: 
   either of two morphologically or physiologically differentiated areas at  
   opposite ends of an axis in an organism or cell 5a: the vertex of the angle 
   coordinate in a polar coordinate system  5b: the point of origin of two 
   tangents to a conic that determine a polar Pole \'po-l\ n [G, of Slavic 
   origin; akin to Pol Polak Pole] 1: a native or inhabitant of Poland  2: a 
   person of Polish descent