Defn: To hang in equilibrium; to be balanced or suspended; hence, to be in suspense or doubt. The slender, graceful spars Poise aloft in air. Longfellow.
POISERPois"er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The balancer of dipterous insects.
POISON Poi"son, n. Etym: [F. poison, in Old French also, a potion, fr. L. potio a drink, draught, potion, a poisonous draught, fr. potare to drink. See Potable, and cf. Potion.]
1. Any agent which, when introduced into the animal organism, is capable of producing a morbid, noxious, or deadly effect upon it; as, morphine is a deadly poison; the poison of pestilential diseases.
2. That which taints or destroys moral purity or health; as, the poison of evil example; the poison of sin. Poison ash. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Amyris (A. balsamifera) found in the West Indies, from the trunk of which a black liquor distills, supposed to have poisonous qualities. (b) The poison sumac (Rhus venenata). [U. S.] — Poison dogwood (Bot.), poison sumac. — Poison fang (Zoöl.), one of the superior maxillary teeth of some species of serpents, which, besides having the cavity for the pulp, is either perforated or grooved by a longitudinal canal, at the lower end of which the duct of the poison gland terminates. See Illust. under Fang. — Poison gland (Biol.), a gland, in animals or plants, which secretes an acrid or venomous matter, that is conveyed along an organ capable of inflicting a wound. — Poison hemlock (Bot.), a poisonous umbelliferous plant (Conium maculatum). See Hemlock. — Poison ivy (Bot.), a poisonous climbing plant (Rhus Toxicodendron) of North America. It is common on stone walls and on the trunks of trees, and has trifoliate, rhombic-ovate, variously notched leaves. Many people are poisoned by it, if they touch the leaves. See Poison sumac. Called also poison oak, and mercury. — Poison nut. (Bot.) (a) Nux vomica. (b) The tree which yields this seed (Strychnos Nuxvomica). It is found on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts. — Poison oak (Bot.), the poison ivy; also, the more shrubby Rhus diversiloba of California and Oregon. Poison sac. (Zoöl.) Same as Poison gland, above. See Illust. under Fang. — Poison sumac (Bot.), a poisonous shrub of the genus Rhus (R. venenata); — also called poison ash, poison dogwood, and poison elder. It has pinnate leaves on graceful and slender common petioles, and usually grows in swampy places. Both this plant and the poison ivy (Rhus Toxicodendron) have clusters of smooth greenish white berries, while the red-fruited species of this genus are harmless. The tree (Rhus vernicifera) which yields the celebrated Japan lacquer is almost identical with the poison sumac, and is also very poisonous. The juice of the poison sumac also forms a lacquer similar to that of Japan.
Syn. — Venom; virus; bane; pest; malignity. — Poison, Venom. Poison usually denotes something received into the system by the mouth, breath, etc. Venom is something discharged from animals and received by means of a wound, as by the bite or sting of serpents, scorpions, etc. Hence, venom specifically implies some malignity of nature or purpose.
POISONPoi"son, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poisoned; p. pr. & vb. n. Poisoning.]Etym: [Cf. OF. poisonner, F. empoissoner, L. potionare to give todrink. See Poison, n.]
1. To put poison upon or into; to infect with poison; as, to poison an arrow; to poison food or drink. "The ingredients of our poisoned chalice." Shak.
2. To injure or kill by poison; to administer poison to. If you poison us, do we not die Shak.
3. To taint; to corrupt; to vitiate; as, vice poisons happiness; slander poisoned his mind. Whispering tongues can poison truth. Coleridge.
POISONPoi"son, v. i.
Defn: To act as, or convey, a poison.Tooth that poisons if it bite. Shak.
POISONABLEPoi"son*a*ble, a.
1. Capable of poisoning; poisonous. [Obs.] "Poisonable heresies." Tooker.
2. Capable of being poisoned.
POISON BUSH Poison bush. In Australia: (a) Any fabaceous shrub of the genus Gastrolobium, the herbage of which is poisonous to stock; also, any species of several related genera, as Oxylobium, Gompholobium, etc. (b) The plant Myoporum deserti, often distinguished as Ellangowan poison bush or dogwood poison bush. (c) The ulmaceous plant Trema cannabina, which, though not poisonous, is injurious to stock because of its large amount of fiber.
POISON CUPPoison cup.
1. A cup containing poison.
2. A cup that was supposed to break on having poison put into it.
POISONERPoi"son*er, n.
Defn: One who poisons. Shak.
POISONOUSPoi"son*ous, a.
Defn: Having the qualities or effects of poison; venomous; baneful;corrupting; noxious. Shak.— Poi"son*ous*ly, adv.— Poi"son*ous*ness, n.
POISONSOMEPoi"son*some, a.
Defn: Poisonous.[Obs.] Holland.
POISUREPoi"sure, n. Etym: [See Poise.]
Defn: Weight. [Obs.]
POITREL Poi"trel, n. Etym: [OE. poitrel, F. poitrail, fr. L. pectorale a breastplate, fr. pectoralis, a. See Pectoral, a.] (Anc. Armor)
Defn: The breastplate of the armor of a horse. See Peytrel. [Obs.]Chaucer.
POIZEPoize, n.
Defn: See Poise. [Obs.]
POKALPo*kal", n. Etym: [G.]
Defn: A tall drinking cup.
POKEPoke, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca (P. decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries; — called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.
POKEPoke, n. Etym: [AS. poca, poha, pohha; akin to Icel. poki, OD. poke,and perh. to E. pock; cf. also Gael.poca, and OF. poque. Cf. Pock,Pocket, Pouch.]
1. A bag; a sack; a pocket. "He drew a dial from his poke." Shak. They wallowed as pigs in a poke. Chaucer.
2. A long, wide sleeve; — called also poke sleeve. To boy a pig a poke (that is, in a bag), to buy a thing without knowledge or examination of it. Camden.
POKEPoke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poked; p. pr. & vb. n. Poking.] Etym: [Cf.LG. poken to prick, pierce, thrust, pok a dagger, knife, D. pook, G.pocken to beat, also Ir. poc a blow, Gael. puc to push.]
1. To thrust or push against or into with anything pointed; hence, to stir up; to excite; as, to poke a fire. He poked John, and said "Sleepest thou " Chaucer.
2. To thrust with the horns; to gore.
3. Etym: [From 5th Poke, 3.]
Defn: To put a poke on; as, to poke an ox. [Colloq. U. S.] To poke fun, to excite fun; to joke; to jest. [Colloq.] — To poke fun at, to make a butt of; to ridicule. [Colloq.]
POKEPoke, v. i.
Defn: To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, topoke about.A man must have poked into Latin and Greek. Prior.
POKEPoke, n.
1. The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs. Ld. Lytton.
2. A lazy person; a dawdler; also, a stupid or uninteresting person. [Slang, U.S.] Bartlett.
3. A contrivance to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences. It consists of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward. [U.S.] Poke bonnet, a bonnet with a straight, projecting front.
POKEBAGPoke"bag`, n. Etym: [So called in allusion to its baglike nest.](Zoöl.)
Defn: The European long-tailed titmouse; — called also poke-pudding.[Prov. Eng.]
POKERPok"er, n. Etym: [From Poke to push.]
1. One who pokes.
2. That which pokes or is used in poking, especially a metal bar or rod used in stirring a fire of coals.
3. A poking-stick. Decker.
4. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The poachard. [Prov. Eng.] Poker picture, a picture formed in imitation of bisterwashed drawings, by singeing the surface of wood with a heated poker or other iron. Fairholt.
POKERPok"er, n. Etym: [Of uncertain etymol.]
Defn: A game at cards derived from brag, and first played about 1835 in the Southwestern United States. Johnson's Cyc.
Note: A poker hand is played with a poker deck, composed of fifty-two cards, of thirteeen values, each card value being represented once in each of four "suits", namely spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The game is played in many variations, but almost invariably the stage of decision as to who wins occurs when each player has five cards (or chooses five cards from some larger number available to him). The winner usually is the player with the highest-valued hand, but, in some variations, the winner may be the player with the lowest-valued hand. The value of a hand is ranked by hand types, representing the relationships of the cards to each other. [The hand types are ranked by the probability of receiving such a hand when dealt five cards.] Within each hand type the value is also ranked by the values of the cards. The hand types are labeled, in decreasing value: five of a kind; royal flush; straight flush; four of a kind; full house (coll. full boat, or boat); flush; straight; three of a kind; two pairs; one pair; and, when the contending players have no hands of any of the above types, the player with the highest-valued card wins — if there is a tie, the next-highest-valued card of the tied players determines the winner, and so on. If two players have the same type of hand, the value of the cards within each type determines the winner; thus, if two players both have three of a kind (and no other player has a higher type of hand), the player whose three matched cards have the highest card value is the winner.
POKER Pok"er, n. Etym: [Cf. Dan. pokker the deuce, devil, also W. pwci, a hobgoblin, bugbear, and E. puck.]
Defn: Any imagined frightful object, especially one supposed to haunt the darkness; a bugbear. [Colloq. U. S.]
POKER DICEPoker dice.
Defn: A game played with five dice in which the count is usually made, in order, by pairs, two pairs, three of a kind, full houses, four of a kind, and five of a kind (the highest throw), similar to poker; also, the dice used in this game, esp. when marked with the ace, king, queen, jack, ten, and nine instead of the usual digits.
POKERISHPok"er*ish, a.
Defn: Infested by pokers; adapted to excite fear; as, a pokerish place. [Colloq. U. S.] There is something pokerish about a deserted dwelling. Lowell.
POKERISHPok"er*ish, a.
Defn: Stiff like a poker. [Colloq.]
POKETPok"et, n.
Defn: A pocket. [Obs.] Chaucer.
POKEWEEDPoke"weed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Poke, the plant.
POKEYPok"ey, a.
Defn: See Poky.
POKINGPok"ing, a.
Defn: Drudging; servile. [Colloq.]Bred to some poking profession. Gray.
POKING-STICKPok"ing-stick`, n.
Defn: A small stick or rod of steel, formerly used in adjusting the plaits of ruffs. Shak.
POKYPok"y, a. Etym: [Written also pokey.]
1. Confined; cramped. [Prov. Eng.]
2. Dull; tedious; uninteresting. [Colloq.]
POLACCA Po*lac"ca, n. Etym: [It. polacca, polaccra, polacra; cf. F. polaque, polacre, Sp. polacre,] [Written also polacre.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: A vessel with two or three masts, used in the Mediterranean. The masts are usually of one piece, and without tops, caps, or crosstrees.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: See Polonaise.
POLACKPo"lack, n.
Defn: A Polander. Shak.
POLACREPo*la"cre, n.
Defn: Same as Polacca, 1.
POLANDERPo"land*er, n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Pole.
POLARPo"lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. polaire. See Pole of the earth.]
1. Of or pertaining to one of the poles of the earth, or of a sphere; situated near, or proceeding from, one of the poles; as, polar regions; polar seas; polar winds.
2. Of or pertaining to the magnetic pole, or to the point to which the magnetic needle is directed.
3. (Geom.)
Defn: Pertaining to, reckoned from, or having a common radiating point; as, polar coördinates. Polar axis, that axis of an astronomical instrument, as an equatorial, which is parallel to the earths axis. — Polar bear (Zoöl.), a large bear (Ursus, or Thalarctos, maritimus) inhabiting the arctic regions. It sometimes measures nearly nine feet in length and weighs 1,600 pounds. It is partially amphibious, very powerful, and the most carnivorous of all the bears. The fur is white, tinged with yellow. Called also White bear. See Bear. — Polar body, cell, or globule (Biol.), a minute cell which separates by karyokinesis from the ovum during its maturation. In the maturation of ordinary ova two polar bodies are formed, but in parthogenetic ova only one. The first polar body formed is usually larger than the second one, and often divides into two after its separation from the ovum. Each of the polar bodies removes maternal chromatin from the ovum to make room for the chromatin of the fertilizing spermatozoön; but their functions are not fully understood. — Polar circles (Astron. & Geog.), two circles, each at a distance from a pole of the earth equal to the obliquity of the ecliptic, or about 23º 28', the northern called the arctic circle, and the southern the antarctic circle. — Polar clock, a tube, containing a polarizing apparatus, turning on an axis parallel to that of the earth, and indicating the hour of the day on an hour circle, by being turned toward the plane of maximum polarization of the light of the sky, which is always 90º from the sun. — Polar coördinates. See under 3d Coördinate. — Polar dial, a dial whose plane is parallel to a great circle passing through the poles of the earth. Math. Dict. — Polar distance, the angular distance of any point on a sphere from one of its poles, particularly of a heavenly body from the north pole of the heavens. — Polar equation of a line or surface, an equation which expresses the relation between the polar coördinates of every point of the line or surface. — Polar forces (Physics), forces that are developed and act in pairs, with opposite tendencies or properties in the two elements, as magnetism, electricity, etc. — Polar hare (Zoöl.), a large hare of Arctic America (Lepus arcticus), which turns pure white in winter. It is probably a variety of the common European hare (L. timidus). — Polar lights, the aurora borealis or australis. — Polar, or Polaric, opposition or contrast (Logic), an opposition or contrast made by the existence of two opposite conceptions which are the extremes in a species, as white and black in colors; hence, as great an opposition or contrast as possible. — Polar projection. See under Projection. — Polar spherical triangle (Spherics), a spherical triangle whose three angular points are poles of the sides of a given triangle. See 4th Pole, 2. — Polar whale (Zoöl.), the right whale, or bowhead. See Whale.
POLARPo"lar, n. (Conic Sections)
Defn: The right line drawn through the two points of contact of the two tangents drawn from a given point to a given conic section. The given point is called the pole of the line. If the given point lies within the curve so that the two tangents become imaginary, there is still a real polar line which does not meet the curve, but which possesses other properties of the polar. Thus the focus and directrix are pole and polar. There are also poles and polar curves to curves of higher degree than the second, and poles and polar planes to surfaces of the second degree.
POLARCHYPol"ar*chy, n.
Defn: See Polyarchy.
POLARICPo*lar"ic, a.
Defn: See Polar. [R.]
POLARILYPo"lar*i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a polary manner; with polarity. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
POLARIMETERPo`lar*im"e*ter, n. Etym: [Polar + -meter.] (Opt.)
Defn: An instrument for determining the amount of polarization of light, or the proportion of polarized light, in a partially polarized ray.
POLARIMETRYPo`lar*im"e*try, n. (Opt.)
Defn: The art or process of measuring the polarization of light.
POLARISPo*la"ris, n. Etym: [NL. See Polar.] (Astron.)
Defn: The polestar. See North star, under North.
POLARISCOPEPo*lar"i*scope, n. Etym: [Polar + -scope.] (Opt.)
Defn: An instrument consisting essentially of a polarizer and an analyzer, used for polarizing light, and analyzing its properties.
POLARISCOPICPo*lar`i*scop"ic, a. (Opt.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the polariscope; obtained by the use of a polariscope; as, polariscopic observations.
POLARISCOPYPo`lar*is"co*py, n. (Opt.)
Defn: The art or rocess of making observations with the polariscope.
POLARISTICPo`lar*is"tic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or exhibiting, poles; having a polar arrangement or disposition; arising from, or dependent upon, the possession of poles or polar characteristics; as, polaristic antagonism.
POLARITYPo*lar"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polarité.]
1. (Physics)
Defn: That quality or condition of a body in virtue of which it exhibits opposite, or contrasted, properties or powers, in opposite, or contrasted, parts or directions; or a condition giving rise to a contrast of properties corresponding to a contrast of positions, as, for example, attraction and repulsion in the opposite parts of a magnet, the dissimilar phenomena corresponding to the different sides of a polarized ray of light, etc.
2. (Geom.)
Defn: A property of the conic sections by virtue of which a given point determines a corresponding right line and a given right line determines a corresponding point. See Polar, n.
POLARIZABLEPo"lar*i`za*ble, a.
Defn: Susceptible of polarization.
POLARIZATIONPo`lar*i*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polarisation.]
1. The act of polarizing; the state of being polarized, or of having polarity.
2. (Opt.)
Defn: A peculiar affection or condition of the rays of light or heat, in consequence of which they exhibit different properties in different directions.
Note: If a beam of light, which has been reflected from a plate of unsilvered glass at an angle of about 56°, be received upon a second plate of glass similar to the former, and at the same angle of incidence, the light will be readily reflected when the two planes of incidence are parallel to each other, but will not be reflected when the two planes of incidence are perpendicular to each other. The light has, therefore, acquired new properties by reflection from the first plate of glass, and is called polarized light, while the modification which the light has experienced by this reflection is called polarization. The plane in which the beam of light is reflected from the first mirror is called the plane of polarization. The angle of polarization is the angle at which a beam of light must be reflected, in order that the polarization may be the most complete. The term polarization was derived from the theory of emission, and it was conceived that each luminous molecule has two poles analogous to the poles of a magnet; but this view is not now held. According to the undulatory theory, ordinary light is produced by vibrations transverse or perpendicular to the direction of the ray, and distributed as to show no distinction as to any particular direction. But when, by any means, these, vibrations are made to take place in one plane, the light is said to be plane polarized. If only a portion of the vibrations lie in one plane the ray is said to be partially polarized. Light may be polarized by several methods other than by reflection, as by refraction through most crystalline media, or by being transmitted obliquely through several plates of glass with parallel faces. If a beam of polarized light be transmitted through a crystal of quartz in the direction of its axis, the plane of polarization will be changed by an angle proportional to the thickness of the crystal. This phenomenon is called rotatory polarization. A beam of light reflected from a metallic surface, or from glass surfaces under certain peculiar conditions, acquires properties still more complex, its vibrations being no longer rectilinear, but circular, or elliptical. This phenomenon is called circular or elliptical polarization.
3. (Elec.)
Defn: An effect produced upon the plates of a voltaic battery, or the electrodes in an electrolytic cell, by the deposition upon them of the gases liberated by the action of the current. It is chiefly due to the hydrogen, and results in an increase of the resistance, and the setting up of an opposing electro-motive force, both of which tend materially to weaken the current of the battery, or that passing through the cell.
POLARIZEPo"lar*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polarized; p. pr. & vb. n.Polarizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. polariser.]
Defn: To communicate polarity to.
POLARIZERPo"lar*i`zer, n. (Physics)
Defn: That which polarizes; especially, the part of a polariscope which receives and polarizes the light. It is usually a reflecting plate, or a plate of some crystal, as tourmaline, or a doubly refracting crystal.
POLARYPo"lar*y, a.
Defn: Tending to a pole; having a direction toward a pole. [R.] SirT. Browne.
POLATOUCHEPo`la`touche", n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A flying squirrel (Sciuropterus volans) native of NorthernEurope and Siberia; — called also minene.
POLDERPol"der, n. Etym: [D.]
Defn: A tract of low land reclaimed from the sea by of high embankments. [Holland & Belgium]
POLDWAYPold"way`, n. Etym: [Cf. Poledavy.]
Defn: A kind of coarse bagging, — used for coal sacks. Weale.
POLEPole, n. Etym: [Cf. G. Pole a Pole, Polen Poland.]
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Polander.
POLEPole, n. Etym: [As. pal, L. palus, akin to pangere to make fast. Cf.Pale a stake, Pact.]
1. A long, slender piece of wood; a tall, slender piece of timber; the stem of a small tree whose branches have been removed; as, specifically: (a) A carriage pole, a wooden bar extending from the front axle of a carriage between the wheel horses, by which the carriage is guided and held back. (b) A flag pole, a pole on which a flag is supported. (c) A Maypole. See Maypole. (d) A barber's pole, a pole painted in stripes, used as a sign by barbers and hairdressers. (e) A pole on which climbing beans, hops, or other vines, are trained.
2. A measuring stick; also, a measure of length equal to 5 Bacon. Pole bean (Bot.), any kind of bean which is customarily trained on poles, as the scarlet runner or the Lima bean. — Pole flounder (Zoöl.), a large deep-water flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus), native of the northern coasts of Europe and America, and much esteemed as a food fish; — called also craig flounder, and pole fluke. — Pole lathe, a simple form of lathe, or a substitute for a lathe, in which the work is turned by means of a cord passing around it, one end being fastened to the treadle, and the other to an elastic pole above. — Pole mast (Naut.), a mast formed from a single piece or from a single tree. — Pole of a lens (Opt.), the point where the principal axis meets the surface. — Pole plate (Arch.), a horizontal timber resting on the tiebeams of a roof and receiving the ends of the rafters. It differs from the plate in not resting on the wall.
POLEPole, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poled; p. pr. & vb. n. Poling.]
1. To furnish with poles for support; as, to pole beans or hops.
2. To convey on poles; as, to pole hay into a barn.
3. To impel by a pole or poles, as a boat.
4. To stir, as molten glass, with a pole.
POLEPole, n. Etym: [L. polus, Gr. pôle.]
1. Either extremity of an axis of a sphere; especially, one of the extremities of the earth's axis; as, the north pole.
2. (Spherics)
Defn: A point upon the surface of a sphere equally distant from every part of the circumference of a great circle; or the point in which a diameter of the sphere perpendicular to the plane of such circle meets the surface. Such a point is called the pole of that circle; as, the pole of the horizon; the pole of the ecliptic; the pole of a given meridian.
3. (Physics)
Defn: One of the opposite or contrasted parts or directions in which a polar force is manifested; a point of maximum intensity of a force which has two such points, or which has polarity; as, the poles of a magnet; the north pole of a needle.
4. The firmament; the sky. [Poetic] Shoots against the dusky pole. Milton.
5. (Geom.)
Defn: See Polarity, and Polar, n. Magnetic pole. See under Magnetic. — Poles of the earth, or Terrestrial poles (Geog.), the two opposite points on the earth's surface through which its axis passes. — Poles of the heavens, or Celestial poles, the two opposite points in the celestial sphere which coincide with the earth's axis produced, and about which the heavens appear to revolve.
POLEAX; POLEAXE Pole"ax`, Pole"axe`, n. Etym: [OE. pollax; cf. OD. pollexe. See Poll head, and Ax.]
Defn: Anciently, a kind of battle-ax with a long handle; later, an ax or hatchet with a short handle, and a head variously patterned; — used by soldiers, and also by sailors in boarding a vessel.
POLECAT Pole"cat`, n. Etym: [Probably fr. F. poule hen, and originally, a poultry cat, because it feeds on poultry. See Poultry.] (Zoöl.) (a) A small European carnivore of the Weasel family (Putorius foetidus). Its scent glands secrete a substance of an exceedingly disagreeable odor. Called also fitchet, foulmart, and European ferret. (b) The zorilla. The name is also applied to other allied species.
POLEDAVYPole"da`vy, n. Etym: [Etymology uncertain.]
Defn: A sort of coarse canvas; poldway. [Obs.] Howell.
POLELESSPole"less, a.
Defn: Without a pole; as, a poleless chariot.
POLEMARCHPol"e*march, n. Etym: [Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: In Athens, originally, the military commanderin-chief; but, afterward, a civil magistrate who had jurisdiction in respect of strangers and sojourners. In other Grecian cities, a high military and civil officer.
POLEMICPo*lem"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. polémique.]
1. Of or pertaining to controversy; maintaining, or involving, controversy; controversial; disputative; as, a polemic discourse or essay; polemic theology.
2. Engaged in, or addicted to, polemics, or to controversy; disputations; as, a polemic writer. South.
POLEMICPo*lem"ic, n.
1. One who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant. The sarcasms and invectives of the young polemic. Macaulay.
2. A polemic argument or controversy.
POLEMICALPo*lem"ic*al, a.
Defn: Polemic; controversial; disputatious.— Po*lem"ic*al*ly, adv.Polemical and impertinent disputations. Jer. Taylor.
POLEMICISTPo*lem"i*cist, n.
Defn: A polemic. [R.]
POLEMICSPo*lem"ics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. polémique.]
Defn: The art or practice of disputation or controversy, especially on religious subjects; that branch of theological science which pertains to the history or conduct of ecclesiastical controversy.
POLEMISTPol"e*mist, n.
Defn: A polemic. [R.]
POLEMONIACEOUSPol`e*mo`ni*a"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (Polemoniaceæ), which includes Polemonium, Phlox, Gilia, and a few other genera.
POLEMONIUMPol`e*mo"ni*um. n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of gamopetalous perennial herbs, including the Jacob's ladder and the Greek valerian.
POLEMOSCOPEPo*lem"o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope: cf. F. polémoscope.]
Defn: An opera glass or field glass with an oblique mirror arranged for seeing objects do not lie directly before the eye; — called also diagonal, or side, opera glass.
POLEMYPol"e*my, n. Etym: [See Polemic.]
Defn: Warfare; war; hence, contention; opposition. [Obs.]
POLENTAPo*len"ta, n. Etym: [It., fr. L. polenta peeled barley.]
Defn: Pudding made of Indian meal; also, porridge made of chestnut meal. [Italy]
POLERPol"er, n.
Defn: One who poles.
POLERPol"er, n.
Defn: An extortioner. See Poller. [Obs.] Bacon.
POLESTARPole"star`, n.
1. Polaris, or the north star. See North star, under North.
2. A guide or director.
POLEWARDSPole"wards, adv.
Defn: Toward a pole of the earth. "The regions further polewards."Whewell.
POLEWIGPole"wig, n. Etym: [Cf. Polliwig.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European spotted goby (Gobius minutus); — called also pollybait. [Prov. Eng.]
POLEYPo"ley, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Poly.
POLEYPo"ley, a.
Defn: Without horns; polled. [Prov. Eng.] "That poley heifer." H.Kingsley.
POLIANITEPo"li*a*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)
Defn: Manganese dioxide, occurring in tetragonal crystals nearly as hard as quartz.
POLICATEPol"i*cate, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Pollicate.
POLICEPo*lice", n. Etym: [F., fr. L. politia the condition of a state,government, administration, Gr. pur, puri. Cf. Policy polity,Polity.]
1. A judicial and executive system, for the government of a city, town, or district, for the preservation of rights, order, cleanliness, health, etc., and for the enforcement of the laws and prevention of crime; the administration of the laws and regulations of a city, incorporated town, or borough.
2. That which concerns the order of the community; the internal regulation of a state.
3. The organized body of civil officers in a city, town, or district, whose particular duties are the preservation of good order, the prevention and detection of crime, and the enforcement of the laws.
4. (Mil.)
Defn: Military police, the body of soldiers detailed to preserve civil order and attend to sanitary arrangements in a camp or garrison.
5. The cleaning of a camp or garrison, or the state Police commissioner, a civil officer, usually one of a board, commissioned to regulate and control the appointment, duties, and discipline of the police. — Police constable, or Police officer, a policeman. — Police court, a minor court to try persons brought before it by the police. — Police inspector, an officer of police ranking next below a superintendent. — Police jury, a body of officers who collectively exercise jurisdiction in certain cases of police, as levying taxes, etc.; — so called in Louisiana. Bouvier. — Police justice, or Police magistrate, a judge of a police court. — Police offenses (Law), minor offenses against the order of the community, of which a police court may have final jurisdiction. — Police station, the headquarters of the police, or of a section of them; the place where the police assemble for orders, and to which they take arrested persons.
POLICEPo*lice", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Policed; p. pr. & vb. n. Policing.]
1. To keep in order by police.
2. (Mil.)
Defn: To make clean; as, to police a camp.
POLICEDPo*liced", a.
Defn: Regulated by laws for the maintenance of peace and order, enforced by organized administration. "A policed kingdom." Howell.
POLICEMANPo*lice"man, n.; pl. Policemen (.
Defn: A member of a body of police; a constable.
POLICE POWERPolice power. (Law)
Defn: The inherent power of a government to regulate its police affairs. The term police power is not definitely fixed in meaning. In the earlier cases in the United States it was used as including the whole power of internal government, or the powers of government inherent in every sovereignty to the extent of its dominions (11 Peters (U. S.) 102). The later cases have excepted from its domain the development and administration of private law. Modern political science defines the power as a branch of internal administration in the exercise of which the executive should move within the lines of general principles prescribed by the constitution or the legislature, and in the exercise of which the most local governmental organizations should participate as far as possible (Burgess). Under this limitation the police power, as affecting persons, is the power of the state to protect the public against the abuse of individual liberty, that is, to restrain the individual in the exercise of his rights when such exercise becomes a danger to the community. The tendency of judicial and popular usage is towards this narrower definition.
POLICIALPo*li"cial (, a.
Defn: Relating to the police. [R.]
POLICIEDPol"i*cied, a.
Defn: Policed. [Obs.] Bacon.
POLICY Pol"i*cy, n.; pl. Policies. Etym: [L. politia, Gr. police, Of. police. See Police, n.]
1. Civil polity. [Obs.]
2. The settled method by which the government and affairs of a nation are, or may be, administered; a system of public or official administration, as designed to promote the external or internal prosperity of a state.
3. The method by which any institution is administered; system of management; course.
4. Management or administration based on temporal or material interest, rather than on principles of equity or honor; hence, worldly wisdom; dexterity of management; cunning; stratagem.
5. Prudence or wisdom in the management of public and private affairs; wisdom; sagacity; wit. The very policy of a hostess, finding his purse so far above his clothes, did detect him. Fuller.
6. Motive; object; inducement. [Obs.] What policy have you to bestow a benefit where it is counted an injury Sir P. Sidney.
Syn.— See Polity.
POLICYPol"i*cy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Policied; p. pr. & vb. n. Policying.]
Defn: To regulate by laws; to reduce to order. [Obs.] "Policying of cities." Bacon.
POLICY Pol"i*cy, n. Etym: [F. police; cf. Pr. polissia, Sp. pólizia, It. pólizza; of uncertain origin; cf. L. pollex thumb (as being used in pressing the seal), in LL. also, seal; or cf. LL. politicum, poleticum, polecticum, L. polyptychum, account book, register, fr. Gr. apodixa a receipt.]
1. A ticket or warrant for money in the public funds.
2. The writing or instrument in which a contract of insurance is embodied; an instrument in writing containing the terms and conditions on which one party engages to indemnify another against loss arising from certain hazards, perils, or risks to which his person or property may be exposed. See Insurance.
3. A method of gambling by betting as to what numbers will be drawn in a lottery; as, to play policy. Interest policy, a policy that shows by its form that the assured has a real, substantial interest in the matter insured. — Open policy, one in which the value of the goods or property insured is not mentioned. — Policy book, a book to contain a record of insurance policies. — Policy holder, one to whom an insurance policy has been granted. — Policy shop, a gambling place where one may bet on the numbers which will be drawn in lotteries. — Valued policy, one in which the value of the goods, property, or interest insured is specified. — Wager policy, a policy that shows on the face of it that the contract it embodies is a pretended insurance, founded on an ideal risk, where the insured has no interest in anything insured.
POLINGPol"ing, n. Etym: [From Pole a stick.]
1. The act of supporting or of propelling by means of a pole or poles; as, the poling of beans; the poling of a boat.
2. (Gardening)
Defn: The operation of dispersing worm casts over the walks with poles.
3. One of the poles or planks used in upholding the side earth in excavating a tunnel, ditch, etc.
POLISHPol"ish, a. Etym: [From Pole a Polander.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Poland or its inhabitants.— n.
Defn: The language of the Poles.
POLISHPol"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polished; p. pr. & vb. n. Polishing.]Etym: [F. polir, L. polire. Cf. Polite, -ish]
1. To make smooth and glossy, usually by friction; to burnish; to overspread with luster; as, to polish glass, marble, metals, etc.
2. Hence, to refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite; as, to polish life or manners. Milton. To polish off, to finish completely, as an adversary. [Slang] W. H. Russell.
POLISHPol"ish, v. i.
Defn: To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface; as, steel polishes well. Bacon.
POLISHPol"ish, n.
1. A smooth, glossy surface, usually produced by friction; a gloss or luster. Another prism of clearer glass and better polish. Sir I. Newton.
2. Anything used to produce a gloss.
3. Fig.: Refinement; elegance of manners. This Roman polish and this smooth behavior. Addison.
POLISHABLEPol"ish*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being polished.
POLISHEDPol"ished, a.
Defn: Made smooth and glossy, as by friction; hence, highly finished; refined; polite; as, polished plate; polished manners; polished verse.
POLISHEDNESSPol"ished*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being polished.
POLISHERPol"ish*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, polishes; also, that which is used in polishing. Addison.
POLISHINGPol"ish*ing,
Defn: a. & n. from Polish. Polishing iron, an iron burnisher; esp., a small smoothing iron used in laundries. — Polishing slate. (a) A gray or yellow slate, found in Bohemia and Auvergne, and used for polishing glass, marble, and metals. (b) A kind of hone or whetstone; hone slate. — Polishing snake, a tool used in cleaning lithographic stones. — Polishing wheel, a wheel or disk coated with, or composed of, abrading material, for polishing a surface.
POLISHMENTPol"ish*ment, n.
Defn: The act of polishing, or the state of being polished. [R.]
POLISSOIRPo`lis`soir", n. [F.]
1. A polishing or grinding implement or instrument.
2. (Glass Making) A tool consisting of a flat wooden block with a long iron handle, used for flattening out split cylinders of blown glass.
POLITE Po*lite", a. [Compar. Politer; superl. Politest.] Etym: [L. politus, p. p. of polire to polish: cf. F. poli. See Polish, v.]
1. Smooth; polished. [Obs.] Rays of light falling on a polite surface. Sir I. Newton.
2. Smooth and refined in behavior or manners; well bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging; civil. He marries, bows at court, and grows polite. Pope.
3. Characterized by refinement, or a high degree of finish; as, polite literature. Macaulay.
Syn. — Polished; refined; well bred; courteous; affable; urbane; civil; courtly; elegant; genteel.
POLITEPo*lite", v. t.
Defn: To polish; to refine; to render polite. [Obs.] Ray.
POLITELYPo*lite"ly, adv.
1. In a polished manner; so as to be smooth or glossy. [Obs.] Milton.
2. In a polite manner; with politeness.
POLITENESSPo*lite"ness, n.
1. High finish; smoothness; burnished elegance. [R.] Evelyn.
2. The quality or state of being polite; refinement of manners; urbanity; courteous behavior; complaisance; obliging attentions.
Syn. — Courtesy; good breeding; refinement; urbanity; courteousness; affability; complaisance; civility; gentility; courtliness. — Politeness, Courtesy. Politeness denotes that ease and gracefulness of manners which first sprung up in cities, connected with a desire to please others by anticipating their wants and wishes, and studiously avoiding whatever might give them pain. Courtesy is, etymologically, the politeness of courts. It displays itself in the address and manners; it is shown more especially in receiving and entertaining others, and is a union of dignified complaisance and kindness.
POLITESSEPol`i*tesse", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Politeness.
POLITICPol"i*tic, a. Etym: [L. politicus political, Gr. politique. SeePolice, and cf. ePolitical.]
1. Of or pertaining to polity, or civil government; political; as, the body politic. See under Body. He with his people made all but one politic body. Sir P. Sidney.
2. Pertaining to, or promoting, a policy, especially a national policy; well-devised; adapted to its end, whether right or wrong; — said of things; as, a politic treaty. "Enrich'd with politic grave counsel." Shak.
3. Sagacious in promoting a policy; ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; devoted to a scheme or system rather than to a principle; hence, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious; and in a bad sense, artful; unscrupulous; cunning; — said of persons. Politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy. Shak.
Syn. — Wise; prudent; sagacious; discreet; provident; wary; artful; cunning.
POLITICPol`i*tic, n.
Defn: A politician. [Archaic] Bacon. Swiftly the politic goes; is it dark he borrows a lantern; Slowly the statesman and sure, guiding his feet by the stars. Lowell.
POLITICALPo*lit"i*cal, a.
1. Having, or conforming to, a settled system of administration. [R.] "A political government." Evelyn.
2. Of or pertaining to public policy, or to politics; relating to affairs of state or administration; as, a political writer. "The political state of Europe." Paley.
3. Of or pertaining to a party, or to parties, in the state; as, his political relations were with the Whigs.
4. Politic; wise; also, artful. [Obs.] Sterne. Political economy, that branch of political science or philosophy which treats of the sources, and methods of production and preservation, of the material wealth and prosperity of nations.
POLITICALISMPo*lit"i*cal*ism, n.
Defn: Zeal or party spirit in politics.
POLITICALLYPo*lit"i*cal*ly, adv.
1. In a political manner.
2. Politicly; artfully. [Obs.] Knolles.
POLITICASTERPo*lit"i*cas`ter, n. Etym: [Cf. It. politicastro.]
Defn: A petty politician; a pretender in politics. Milton.
POLITICIANPol`i*ti"cian, n. Etym: [Cf. F. politicien.]
1. One versed or experienced in the science of government; one devoted to politics; a statesman. While empiric politicians use deceit. Dryden.
2. One primarily devoted to his own advancement in public office, or to the success of a political party; — used in a depreciatory sense; one addicted or attached to politics as managed by parties (see Politics, 2); a schemer; an intriguer; as, a mere politician. Like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not. Shak. The politician . . . ready to do anything that he apprehends for his advantage. South.
POLITICIANPol`i*ti"cian, a.
Defn: Cunning; using artifice; politic; artful. "Ill-meaning politician lords." Milton.
POLITICISTPo*lit"i*cist, n.
Defn: A political writer. [R.]
POLITICLYPol"i*tic*ly, adv.
Defn: In a politic manner; sagaciously; shrewdly; artfully. Pope.
POLITICSPol"i*tics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. politique, Gr. Politic.]
1. The science of government; that part of ethics which has to do with the regulation and government of a nation or state, the preservation of its safety, peace, and prosperity, the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals.
2. The management of a political party; the conduct and contests of parties with reference to political measures or the administration of public affairs; the advancement of candidates to office; in a bad sense, artful or dishonest management to secure the success of political candidates or parties; political trickery. When we say that two men are talking politics, we often mean that they are wrangling about some mere party question. F. W. Robertson.
POLITIZEPol"i*tize, v. i.
Defn: To play the politician; to dispute as politicians do. [Obs.]Milton.
POLITURE Pol"i*ture, n. Etym: [L. politura, fr. polire to polish. See Polish, v.]
Defn: Polish; gloss. [Obs.] Donne.
POLITYPol"i*ty, n.; pl. Polities. Etym: [L. politia, Gr. politie. See 1stPolicy, Police.]
1. The form or constitution of the civil government of a nation or state; the framework or organization by which the various departments of government are combined into a systematic whole. Blackstone. Hooker.
2. Hence: The form or constitution by which any institution is organized; the recognized principles which lie at the foundation of any human institution. Nor is possible that any form of polity, much less polity ecclesiastical, should be good, unless God himself be author of it. Hooker.
3. Policy; art; management. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Syn. — Policy. — Polity, Policy. These two words were originally the same. Polity is now confined to the structure of a government; as, civil or ecclesiastical polity; while policy is applied to the scheme of management of public affairs with reference to some aim or result; as, foreign or domestic policy. Policy has the further sense of skillful or cunning management.
POLITZERIZATIONPo*litz`er*i*za"tion, n. (Med.)
Defn: The act of inflating the middle ear by blowing air up the nose during the act of swallowing; — so called from Prof. Politzer of Vienna, who first practiced it.
POLIVEPol"ive, n.
Defn: A pulley. [Obs.] Chaucer.
POLKAPol"ka, n. Etym: [Pol. Polka a Polish woman: cf. F. & G. polka.]
1. A dance of Polish origin, but now common everywhere. It is performed by two persons in common time.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A lively Bohemian or Polish dance tune in 2-4 measure, with the third quaver accented. Polka jacket, a kind of knit jacket worn by women.
POLLPoll, n. Etym: [From Polly, The proper name.]
Defn: A parrot; — familiarly so called.
POLLPoll, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: One who does not try for honors, but is content to take a degree merely; a passman. [Cambridge Univ., Eng.]
POLL Poll, n. Etym: [Akin to LG. polle the head, the crest of a bird, the top of a tree, OD. pol, polle, Dan. puld the crown of a hat.]
1. The head; the back part of the head. "All flaxen was his poll." Shak.
2. A number or aggregate of heads; a list or register of heads or individuals. We are the greater poll, and in true fear They gave us our demands. Shak. The muster file, rotten and sound, upon my life, amounts not to fifteen thousand poll. Shak.
3. Specifically, the register of the names of electors who may vote in an election.
4. The casting or recording of the votes of registered electors; as, the close of the poll. All soldiers quartered in place are to remove . . . and not to return till one day after the poll is ended. Blackstone.
5. pl.
Defn: The place where the votes are cast or recorded; as, to go to the polls.
6. The broad end of a hammer; the but of an ax.
7. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European chub. See Pollard, 3 (a). Poll book, a register of persons entitled to vote at an election. — Poll evil (Far.), an inflammatory swelling or abscess on a horse's head, confined beneath the great ligament of the neck. — Poll pick (Mining), a pole having a heavy spike on the end, forming a kind of crowbar. — Poll tax, a tax levied by the head, or poll; a capitation tax.
POLLPoll, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polled; p. pr. & vb. n. Polling.]
1. To remove the poll or head of; hence, to remove the top or end of; to clip; to lop; to shear; as, to poll the head; to poll a tree. When he [Absalom] pollled his head. 2 Sam. xiv. 26. His death did so grieve them that they polled themselves; they clipped off their horse and mule's hairs. Sir T. North.
2. To cut off; to remove by clipping, shearing, etc.; to mow or crop; — sometimes with off; as, to poll the hair; to poll wool; to poll grass. Who, as he polled off his dart's head, so sure he had decreed That all the counsels of their war he would poll off like it. Chapman.
3. To extort from; to plunder; to strip. [Obs.] Which polls and pills the poor in piteous wise. Spenser.
4. To impose a tax upon. [Obs.]
5. To pay as one's personal tax. The man that polled but twelve pence for his head. Dryden.
6. To enter, as polls or persons, in a list or register; to enroll, esp. for purposes of taxation; to enumerate one by one. Polling the reformed churches whether they equalize in number those of his three kingdoms. Milton.
7. To register or deposit, as a vote; to elicit or call forth, as votes or voters; as, he polled a hundred votes more than his opponent. And poll for points of faith his trusty vote. Tickell.
8. (Law)
Defn: To cut or shave smooth or even; to cut in a straight line without indentation; as, a polled deed. See Dee. Burrill. To poll a jury, to call upon each member of the jury to answer individually as to his concurrence in a verdict which has been rendered.
POLLPoll, v. i.
Defn: To vote at an election. Beaconsfield.
POLLACK Pol"lack, n. Etym: [Cf. G. & D. pollack, and Gael. pollag a little pool, a sort of fish.] (Zoöl.) (a) A marine gadoid food fish of Europe (Pollachius virens). Called also greenfish, greenling, lait, leet, lob, lythe, and whiting pollack. (b) The American pollock; the coalfish.
POLLAGEPoll"age, n.
Defn: A head or poll tax; hence, extortion. [Obs.] Foxe.
POLLANPol"lan, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. pollag a kind of fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A lake whitefish (Coregonus pollan), native of Ireland. In appearance it resembles a herring.
POLLARDPol"lard, n. Etym: [From Poll the head.]
1. A tree having its top cut off at some height above the ground, that may throw out branches. Pennant.
2. A clipped coin; also, a counterfeit. [Obs.] Camden.
3. (Zoöl.) (a) A fish, the chub. (b) A stag that has cast its antlers. (c) A hornless animal (cow or sheep).
POLLARDPol"lard, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pollarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Pollarding.]
Defn: To lop the tops of, as trees; to poll; as, to pollard willows.Evelyn.
POLLAXPoll"ax`, n.
Defn: A poleax. [Obs.] Chaucer.
POLLEDPolled, a.
Defn: Deprived of a poll, or of something belonging to the poll.Specifically: (a) Lopped; — said of trees having their tops cut off.(b) Cropped; hence, bald; — said of a person. "The polled bachelor."Beau. & Fl. (c) Having cast the antlers; — said of a stag. (d)Without horns; as, polled cattle; polled sheep.
POLLENPol"len, n. Etym: [L. pollen fine flour, fine dust; cf. Gr.
1. Fine bran or flour. [Obs.] Bailey.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: The fecundating dustlike cells of the anthers of flowers. See Flower, and Illust. of Filament. Pollen grain (Bot.), a particle or call of pollen. — Pollen mass, a pollinium. Gray. — Pollen sac, a compartment of an anther containing pollen, — usually there are four in each anther. — Pollen tube, a slender tube which issues from the pollen grain on its contact with the stigma, which it penetrates, thus conveying, it is supposed, the fecundating matter of the grain to the ovule.
POLLENARIOUSPol`len*a"ri*ous, a.
Defn: Consisting of meal or pollen.
POLLENEDPol"lened, a.
Defn: Covered with pollen. Tennyson.
POLLENIFEROUSPol`len*if"er*ous, a. Etym: [Pollen + -ferous.] (Bot.)
Defn: Producing pollen; polliniferous.
POLLENINPol"len*in, n. Etym: [Cf. F. pollénine.] (Chem.)
Defn: A substance found in the pollen of certain plants. [R.]
POLLENIZEPol"len*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pollenized; p. pr. & vb. n.Pollenizing.]
Defn: To supply with pollen; to impregnate with pollen.
POLLERPoll"er, n. Etym: [From Poll]
Defn: One who polls; specifically: (a) One who polls or lops trees. (b) One who polls or cuts hair; a barber. [R.] (c) One who extorts or plunders. [Obs.] Bacon. (d) One who registers voters, or one who enters his name as a voter.
POLLEXPol"lex, n.; pl. Pollices. Etym: [L., the thumb.] (Anat.)
Defn: The first, or preaxial, digit of the fore limb, corresponding to the hallux in the hind limb; the thumb. In birds, the pollex is the joint which bears the bastard wing.
POLLICATEPol"li*cate, a. Etym: [L. pollex, pollicis, a thumb.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a curved projection or spine on the inner side of a leg joint; — said of insects.
POLLICITATION Pol*lic`i*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. pollicitatio, fr. pollicitari to promise, v. intens. fr. polliceri to promise: cf. F. pollicitation.]
1. A voluntary engagement, or a paper containing it; a promise. Bp. Burnet.
2. (Roman Law)
Defn: A promise without mutuality; a promise which has not been accepted by the person to whom it is made. Bouvier.
POLLINATEPol"li*nate, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Pollinose.
POLLINATEPol"li*nate, v. t. (Bot.)
Defn: To apply pollen to (a stigma).— Pol`li*na"tion, n. (Bot.)
POLLINCTORPol*linc"tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. pollingere.] (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: One who prepared corpses for the funeral.
POLLINGPoll"ing, n. Etym: [See Poll the head.]
1. The act of topping, lopping, or cropping, as trees or hedges.
2. Plunder, or extortion. [Obs.] E. Hall.
3. The act of voting, or of registering a vote. Polling booth, a temporary structure where the voting at an election is done; a polling place.
POLLINIFEROUSPol`li*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. pollen, -inis, pollen + -ferous: cf.F. pollinifère.] (Bot.)
Defn: Producing pollen; polleniferous.
POLLINIUMPol*lin"i*um, n.; pl. Pollinia. Etym: [NL. See Pollen.] (Bot.)
Defn: A coherent mass of pollen, as in the milkweed and most orchids.
POLLINOSEPol"li*nose`, a. Etym: [L. pollen, -inis, dust.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the surface covered with a fine yellow dust, like pollen.
POLLIWIG; POLLIWOGPol"li*wig, Pol"li*wog, n. Etym: [OE. polwigle. Cf. Poll head, andWiggle.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A tadpole; — called also purwiggy and porwigle.
POLLOCKPol"lock, n. Etym: [See Pollack.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A marine gadoid fish (Pollachius carbonarius), native both of the European and American coasts. It is allied to the cod, and like it is salted and dried. In England it is called coalfish, lob, podley, podling, pollack, etc.
POLLUCITEPol"lu*cite, n. Etym: [See Pollux, and 4th Castor.] (Min.)
Defn: A colorless transparent mineral, resembling quartz, occurring with castor or castorite on the island of Elba. It is a silicate of alumina and cæsia. Called also pollux.
POLLUTEPol*lute", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polluted; p. pr. & vb. n. Polluting.]Etym: [L. pollutus, p. p. of polluere to defile, to pollute, from aprep. appearing only in comp. + luere to wash. See Position, Lave.]
1. To make foul, impure, or unclean; to defile; to taint; to soil; to desecrate; — used of physical or moral defilement. The land was polluted with blood. Ps. cvi. 38 Wickedness . . . hath polluted the whole earth. 2 Esd. xv. 6.
2. To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonor.
3. (Jewish Law)
Defn: To render ceremonially unclean; to disqualify or unfit for sacred use or service, or for social intercourse. Neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die. Num. xviii. 32. They have polluted themselves with blood. Lam. iv. 14.
Syn. — To defile; soil; contaminate; corrupt; taint; vitiate; debauch; dishonor; ravish.
POLLUTEPol*lute", a. Etym: [L. pollutus.]
Defn: Polluted. [R.] Milton.
POLLUTEDPol*lut"ed, a.
Defn: Defiled; made unclean or impure; debauched.— Pol*lut"ed*ly, adv.— Pol*lut"ed*ness, n.