Chapter LI: Bella (78)

POIGNANT Poign"ant, a. Etym: [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.]

1. Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. "His poignant spear." Spenser. "Poynaunt sauce." Chaucer.

2. Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical. His wit . . . became more lively and poignant. Sir W. Scott.

POIGNANTLY Poign"ant*ly, adv.

Defn: In a poignant manner.

POIKILITIC Poi`ki*lit"ic, a. (Geol.)

Defn: See Poecilitic.

POIKILOCYTE Poi"ki*lo*cyte, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)

Defn: An irregular form of corpuscle found in the blood in cases of profound anæmia, probably a degenerated red blood corpuscle.

POIKILOTHERMAL; POIKILOTHERMIC Poi`ki*lo*ther"mal, Poi`ki*lo*ther"mic, a. Etym: [Gr. thermal, thermic.] (Physiol.)

Defn: Having a varying body temperature. See Homoiothermal.

POIKILOTHERMOUS Poi`ki*lo*ther"mous, a. (Physiol.)

Defn: Poikilothermal.

POINCIANA Poin`ci*a"na, n. Etym: [NL. Named after M. de Poinci, a governor of the French West Indies.] (Bot.)

Defn: A prickly tropical shrub (Cæsalpinia, formerly Poinciana, pulcherrima), with bipinnate leaves, and racemes of showy orange-red flowers with long crimson filaments.

Note: The genus Poinciana is kept up for three trees of Eastern Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and India.

POIND Poind, v. t. Etym: [See Pound to confine.]

1. To impound, as cattle. [Obs. or Scot.] Flavel.

2. To distrain. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

POINDER Poind"er, n.

1. The keeper of a cattle pound; a pinder. [Obs. or Scot.] T. Adams.

2. One who distrains property. [Scot.] Jamieson.

POINSETTIA Poin*set"ti*a, n. Etym: [NL. Named after Joel R. Poinsett of South Carolina.] (Bot.)

Defn: A Mexican shrub (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with very large and conspicuous vermilion bracts below the yellowish flowers.

POINT Point, v. t. & i.

Defn: To appoint. [Obs.] Spenser.

POINT Point, n. Etym: [F. point, and probably also pointe, L. punctum, puncta, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. See Pungent, and cf. Puncto, Puncture.]

1. That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin.

2. An instrument which pricks or pierces, as a sort of needle used by engravers, etchers, lace workers, and others; also, a pointed cutting tool, as a stone cutter's point; -- called also pointer.

3. Anything which tapers to a sharp, well-defined termination. Specifically: A small promontory or cape; a tract of land extending into the water beyond the common shore line.

4. The mark made by the end of a sharp, piercing instrument, as a needle; a prick.

5. An indefinitely small space; a mere spot indicated or supposed. Specifically: (Geom.) That which has neither parts nor magnitude; that which has position, but has neither length, breadth, nor thickness, -- sometimes conceived of as the limit of a line; that by the motion of which a line is conceived to be produced.

6. An indivisible portion of time; a moment; an instant; hence, the verge. When time's first point begun Made he all souls. Sir J. Davies.

7. A mark of punctuation; a character used to mark the divisions of a composition, or the pauses to be observed in reading, or to point off groups of figures, etc.; a stop, as a comma, a semicolon, and esp. a period; hence, figuratively, an end, or conclusion. And there a point, for ended is my tale. Chaucer. Commas and points they set exactly right. Pope.

8. Whatever serves to mark progress, rank, or relative position, or to indicate a transition from one state or position to another, degree; step; stage; hence, position or condition attained; as, a point of elevation, or of depression; the stock fell off five points; he won by tenpoints. "A point of precedence." Selden. "Creeping on from point to point." Tennyson. A lord full fat and in good point. Chaucer.

9. That which arrests attention, or indicates qualities or character; a salient feature; a characteristic; a peculiarity; hence, a particular; an item; a detail; as, the good or bad points of a man, a horse, a book, a story, etc. He told him, point for point, in short and plain. Chaucer. In point of religion and in point of honor. Bacon. Shalt thou dispute With Him the points of liberty Milton.

10. Hence, the most prominent or important feature, as of an argument, discourse, etc.; the essential matter; esp., the proposition to be established; as, the point of an anecdote. "Here lies the point." Shak. They will hardly prove his point. Arbuthnot.

11. A small matter; a trifle; a least consideration; a punctilio. This fellow doth not stand upon points. Shak. [He] cared not for God or man a point. Spenser.

12. (Mus.)

Defn: A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time; as: (a) (Anc. Mus.) A dot or mark distinguishing or characterizing certain tones or styles; as, points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.; hence, a note; a tune. "Sound the trumpet -- not a levant, or a flourish, but a point of war." Sir W. Scott. (b) (Mod. Mus.) A dot placed at the right hand of a note, to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half, as to make a whole note equal to three half notes, a half note equal to three quarter notes.

13. (Astron.)

Defn: A fixed conventional place for reference, or zero of reckoning, in the heavens, usually the intersection of two or more great circles of the sphere, and named specifically in each case according to the position intended; as, the equinoctial points; the solstitial points; the nodal points; vertical points, etc. See Equinoctial Nodal.

14. (Her.)

Defn: One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon.

15. (Naut.) (a) One of the points of the compass (see Points of the compass, below); also, the difference between two points of the compass; as, to fall off a point. (b) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails. See Reef point, under Reef.

16. (Anc. Costume)

Defn: A a string or lace used to tie together certain parts of the dress. Sir W. Scott.

17. Lace wrought the needle; as, point de Venise; Brussels point. See Point lace, below.

18. pl. (Railways)

Defn: A switch. [Eng.]

19. An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer. [Cant, U. S.]

20. (Cricket)

Defn: A fielder who is stationed on the off side, about twelve or fifteen yards from, and a little in advance of, the batsman.

21. The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game; as, the dog came to a point. See Pointer.

22. (Type Making)

Defn: A standard unit of measure for the size of type bodies, being one twelfth of the thickness of pica type. See Point system of type, under Type.

23. A tyne or snag of an antler.

24. One of the spaces on a backgammon board.

25. (Fencing)

Defn: A movement executed with the saber or foil; as, tierce point.

Note: The word point is a general term, much used in the sciences, particularly in mathematics, mechanics, perspective, and physics, but generally either in the geometrical sense, or in that of degree, or condition of change, and with some accompanying descriptive or qualifying term, under which, in the vocabulary, the specific uses are explained; as, boiling point, carbon point, dry point, freezing point, melting point, vanishing point, etc. At all points, in every particular, completely; perfectly. Shak. -- At point, In point, At, In, or On, the point, as near as can be; on the verge; about (see About, prep., 6); as, at the point of death; he was on the point of speaking. "In point to fall down." Chaucer. "Caius Sidius Geta, at point to have been taken, recovered himself so valiantly as brought day on his side." Milton. -- Dead point. (Mach.) Same as Dead center, under Dead. -- Far point (Med.), in ophthalmology, the farthest point at which objects are seen distinctly. In normal eyes the nearest point at which objects are seen distinctly; either with the two eyes together (binocular near point), or with each eye separately (monocular near point). -- Nine points of the law, all but the tenth point; the greater weight of authority. -- On the point. See At point, above. -- Point lace, lace wrought with the needle, as distinguished from that made on the pillow. -- Point net, a machine-made lace imitating a kind of Brussels lace (Brussels ground). -- Point of concurrence (Geom.), a point common to two lines, but not a point of tangency or of intersection, as, for instance, that in which a cycloid meets its base. -- Point of contrary flexure, a point at which a curve changes its direction of curvature, or at which its convexity and concavity change sides. -- Point of order, in parliamentary practice, a question of order or propriety under the rules. -- Point of sight (Persp.), in a perspective drawing, the point assumed as that occupied by the eye of the spectator. -- Point of view, the relative position from which anything is seen or any subject is considered. -- Points of the compass (Naut.), the thirty-two points of division of the compass card in the mariner's compass; the corresponding points by which the circle of the horizon is supposed to be divided, of which the four marking the directions of east, west, north, and south, are called cardinal points, and the rest are named from their respective directions, as N. by E., N. N. E., N. E. by N., N. E., etc. See Illust. under Compass. -- Point paper, paper pricked through so as to form a stencil for transferring a design. -- Point system of type. See under Type. -- Singular point (Geom.), a point of a curve which possesses some property not possessed by points in general on the curve, as a cusp, a point of inflection, a node, etc. -- To carry one's point, to accomplish one's object, as in a controversy. -- To make a point of, to attach special importance to. -- To make, or gain, a point, accomplish that which was proposed; also, to make advance by a step, grade, or position. -- To mark, or score, a point, as in billiards, cricket, etc., to note down, or to make, a successful hit, run, etc. -- To strain a point, to go beyond the proper limit or rule; to stretch one's authority or conscience. -- Vowel point, in Hebrew, and certain other Eastern and ancient languages, a mark placed above or below the consonant, or attached to it, representing the vowel, or vocal sound, which precedes or follows the consonant.

POINT Point, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pointed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pointing.] Etym: [Cf. F. pointer. See Point, n.]

1. To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end; as, to point a dart, or a pencil. Used also figuratively; as, to point a moral.

2. To direct toward an abject; to aim; as, to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort.

3. Hence, to direct the attention or notice of. Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them. Pope.

4. To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate; as, to point a composition.

5. To mark (as Hebrew) with vowel points.

6. To give particular prominence to; to designate in a special manner; to indicate, as if by pointing; as, the error was pointed out. Pope. He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech. Dickens.

7. To indicate or discover by a fixed look, as game.

8. (Masonry)

Defn: To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

9. (Stone Cutting)

Defn: To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool. To point a rope (Naut.), to taper and neatly finish off the end by interweaving the nettles. -- To point a sail (Naut.), to affix points through the eyelet holes of the reefs. -- To point off, to divide into periods or groups, or to separate, by pointing, as figures. -- To point the yards (of a vessel) (Naut.), to brace them so that the wind shall strike the sails obliquely. Totten.

POINT Point (point), v. i.

1. To direct the point of something, as of a finger, for the purpose of designating an object, and attracting attention to it; -- with at. Now must the world point at poor Katharine. Shak. Point at the tattered coat and ragged shoe. Dryden.

2. To indicate the presence of game by fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do. He treads with caution, and he points with fear. Gay.

3. (Med.)

Defn: To approximate to the surface; to head; -- said of an abscess. To point at, to treat with scorn or contempt by pointing or directing attention to. -- To point well (Naut.), to sail close to the wind; -- said of a vessel.

POINTAL Point"al, n. Etym: [From Point: cf. F. pointal an upright wooden prop, OF. pointille a prick or prickle.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: The pistil of a plant.

2. A kind of pencil or style used with the tablets of the Middle Ages. "A pair of tablets [i. e., tablets] . . . and a pointel." Chaucer.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: See Poyntel. [Obs. or R.]

POINT ALPHABET Point alphabet.

Defn: An alphabet for the blind with a system of raised points corresponding to letters.

POINT APPLIQUE Point appliqué.

Defn: Lace having a needle-made design applied to a net ground, this ground often being machine-made.

POINT-BLANK Point`-blank", n. Etym: [F. point point + blanc white.]

1. The white spot on a target, at which an arrow or other missile is aimed. [Obs.] Jonson.

2. (Mil.) (a) With all small arms, the second point in which the natural line of sight, when horizontal, cuts the trajectory. (b) With artillery, the point where the projectile first strikes the horizontal plane on which the gun stands, the axis of the piece being horizontal.

POINT-BLANK Point`-blank", a.

1. Directed in a line toward the object aimed at; aimed directly toward the mark.

2. Hence, direct; plain; unqualified; -- said of language; as, a point-blank assertion. Point-blank range, the extent of the apparent right line of a ball discharged. -- Point-blank shot, the shot of a gun pointed directly toward the object to be hit.

POINT-BLANK Point`-blank", adv.

Defn: In a point-blank manner. To sin point-blank against God's word. Fuller.

POINT D'APPUI Point` d'ap`pui". Etym: [F.] (Mil.)

Defn: See under Appui.

POINT-DEVICE; POINT-DEVISE Point`-de*vice", Point`-de*vise", a. Etym: [OE. at point devis; at at + point point, condition + devis exact, careful, OF. devis fixed, set. See Device.]

Defn: Uncommonly nice and exact; precise; particular. You are rather point-devise in your accouterments. Shak. Thus he grew up, in logic point-devise, Perfect in grammar, and in rhetoric nice. Longfellow.

POINT-DEVICE; POINT-DEVISE Point`-de*vice", Point`-de*vise", adv.

Defn: Exactly. [Obs.] Shak.

POINTED Point"ed, a.

1. Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock.

2. Characterized by sharpness, directness, or pithiness of expression; terse; epigrammatic; especially, directed to a particular person or thing. His moral pleases, not his pointed wit. Pope. Pointed arch (Arch.), an arch with a pointed crown. -- Pointed style (Arch.), a name given to that style of architecture in which the pointed arch is the predominant feature; -- more commonly called Gothic. -- Point"ed*ly, adv. -- Point"ed*ness, n.

POINTEL Point"el, n. Etym: [From Point. Cf. Pointal.]

Defn: See Pointal.

POINTER Point"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, points. Specifically: (a) The hand of a timepiece. (b) (Zoöl.) One of a breed of dogs trained to stop at scent of game, and with the nose point it out to sportsmen. (c) pl. (Astron.)

Defn: The two stars (Merak and Dubhe) in the Great Bear, the line between which points nearly in the direction of the north star. See Illust. of Ursa Major. (b) pl. (Naut.)

Defn: Diagonal braces sometimes fixed across the hold.

POINTING Point"ing, n.

1. The act of sharpening.

2. The act of designating, as a position or direction, by means of something pointed, as a finger or a rod.

3. The act or art of punctuating; punctuation.

4. The act of filling and finishing the joints in masonry with mortar, cement, etc.; also, the material so used.

5. The rubbing off of the point of the wheat grain in the first process of high milling.

6. (Sculpt.)

Defn: The act or process of measuring, at the various distances from the surface of a block of marble, the surface of a future piece of statuary; also, a process used in cutting the statue from the artist's model.

POINTINGSTOCK Point`ing*stock`, n.

Defn: An object of ridicule or scorn; a laughingstock. Shak.

POINTLESS Point"less, a.

Defn: Having no point; blunt; wanting keenness; obtuse; as, a pointless sword; a pointless remark.

Syn. -- Blunt; obtuse, dull; stupid.

POINTLESSLY Point"less*ly, adv.

Defn: Without point.

POINTLETED Point"let*ed, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Having a small, distinct point; apiculate. Henslow.

POINTREL Poin"trel, n.

Defn: A graving tool. Knight.

POINTSMAN Points"man, n.; pl. -men (-men).

Defn: A man who has charge of railroad points or switches. [Eng.]

POINT SWITCH Point switch. (Railroads)

Defn: A switch made up of a rail from each track, both rails being tapered far back and connected to throw alongside the through rail of either track.

POISE Poise, n. Etym: [OE. pois, peis, OF. pois, peis, F. poids, fr. L. pensum a portion weighed out, pendere to weigh, weigh out. Cf. Avoirdupois, Pendant, Poise, v.] [Formerly written also peise.]

1. Weight; gravity; that which causes a body to descend; heaviness. "Weights of an extraordinary poise." Evelyn.

2. The weight, or mass of metal, used in weighing, to balance the substance weighed.

3. The state of being balanced by equal weight or power; equipoise; balance; equilibrium; rest. Bentley.

4. That which causes a balance; a counterweight. Men of unbounded imagination often want the poise of judgment. Dryden.

POISE Poise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poised, (; p. pr. & vb. n. Poising.] Etym: [OE. poisen, peisen, OF. & F. peser, to weigh, balance, OF. il peise, il poise, he weighs, F. il pèse, fr. L. pensare, v. intens. fr. pendere to weigh. See Poise, n., and cf. Pensive.] [Formerly written also peise.]

1. To balance; to make of equal weight; as, to poise the scales of a balance.

2. To hold or place in equilibrium or equiponderance. Nor yet was earth suspended in the sky; Nor poised, did on her own foundation lie. Dryden.

3. To counterpoise; to counterbalance. One scale of reason to poise another of sensuality. Shak. To poise with solid sense a sprightly wit. Dryden.

4. To ascertain, as by the balance; to weigh. He can not sincerely consider the strength, poise the weight, and discern the evidence. South.

5. To weigh (down); to oppress. [Obs.] Lest leaden slumber peise me down to-morrow. Shak.

POISE Poise, v. i.

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.

POISER Pois"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.

POISON Poi"son, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poisoned; p. pr. & vb. n. Poisoning.] Etym: [Cf. OF. poisonner, F. empoissoner, L. potionare to give to drink. 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.

POISON Poi"son, v. i.

Defn: To act as, or convey, a poison. Tooth that poisons if it bite. Shak.

POISONABLE Poi"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 CUP Poison cup.

1. A cup containing poison.

2. A cup that was supposed to break on having poison put into it.

POISONER Poi"son*er, n.

Defn: One who poisons. Shak.

POISONOUS Poi"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.

POISONSOME Poi"son*some, a.

Defn: Poisonous.[Obs.] Holland.

POISURE Poi"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.

POIZE Poize, n.

Defn: See Poise. [Obs.]

POKAL Po*kal", n. Etym: [G.]

Defn: A tall drinking cup.

POKE Poke, 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.

POKE Poke, 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.

POKE Poke, 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.]

POKE Poke, v. i.

Defn: To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, to poke about. A man must have poked into Latin and Greek. Prior.

POKE Poke, 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.

POKEBAG Poke"bag`, n. Etym: [So called in allusion to its baglike nest.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European long-tailed titmouse; -- called also poke-pudding. [Prov. Eng.]

POKER Pok"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.

POKER Pok"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 DICE Poker 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.

POKERISH Pok"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.

POKERISH Pok"er*ish, a.

Defn: Stiff like a poker. [Colloq.]

POKET Pok"et, n.

Defn: A pocket. [Obs.] Chaucer.

POKEWEED Poke"weed`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Poke, the plant.

POKEY Pok"ey, a.

Defn: See Poky.

POKING Pok"ing, a.

Defn: Drudging; servile. [Colloq.] Bred to some poking profession. Gray.

POKING-STICK Pok"ing-stick`, n.

Defn: A small stick or rod of steel, formerly used in adjusting the plaits of ruffs. Shak.

POKY Pok"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.

POLACK Po"lack, n.

Defn: A Polander. Shak.

POLACRE Po*la"cre, n.

Defn: Same as Polacca, 1.

POLANDER Po"land*er, n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Pole.

POLAR Po"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.

POLAR Po"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.

POLARCHY Pol"ar*chy, n.

Defn: See Polyarchy.

POLARIC Po*lar"ic, a.

Defn: See Polar. [R.]

POLARILY Po"lar*i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a polary manner; with polarity. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

POLARIMETER Po`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.

POLARIMETRY Po`lar*im"e*try, n. (Opt.)

Defn: The art or process of measuring the polarization of light.

POLARIS Po*la"ris, n. Etym: [NL. See Polar.] (Astron.)

Defn: The polestar. See North star, under North.

POLARISCOPE Po*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.

POLARISCOPIC Po*lar`i*scop"ic, a. (Opt.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the polariscope; obtained by the use of a polariscope; as, polariscopic observations.

POLARISCOPY Po`lar*is"co*py, n. (Opt.)

Defn: The art or rocess of making observations with the polariscope.

POLARISTIC Po`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.

POLARITY Po*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.

POLARIZABLE Po"lar*i`za*ble, a.

Defn: Susceptible of polarization.

POLARIZATION Po`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.

POLARIZE Po"lar*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polarized; p. pr. & vb. n. Polarizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. polariser.]

Defn: To communicate polarity to.

POLARIZER Po"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.

POLARY Po"lar*y, a.

Defn: Tending to a pole; having a direction toward a pole. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

POLATOUCHE Po`la`touche", n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A flying squirrel (Sciuropterus volans) native of Northern Europe and Siberia; -- called also minene.

POLDER Pol"der, n. Etym: [D.]

Defn: A tract of low land reclaimed from the sea by of high embankments. [Holland & Belgium]

POLDWAY Pold"way`, n. Etym: [Cf. Poledavy.]

Defn: A kind of coarse bagging, -- used for coal sacks. Weale.

POLE Pole, n. Etym: [Cf. G. Pole a Pole, Polen Poland.]

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Poland; a Polander.

POLE Pole, 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.

POLE Pole, 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.

POLE Pole, 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.

POLEDAVY Pole"da`vy, n. Etym: [Etymology uncertain.]

Defn: A sort of coarse canvas; poldway. [Obs.] Howell.

POLELESS Pole"less, a.

Defn: Without a pole; as, a poleless chariot.

POLEMARCH Pol"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.

POLEMIC Po*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.

POLEMIC Po*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.

POLEMICAL Po*lem"ic*al, a.

Defn: Polemic; controversial; disputatious. -- Po*lem"ic*al*ly, adv. Polemical and impertinent disputations. Jer. Taylor.

POLEMICIST Po*lem"i*cist, n.

Defn: A polemic. [R.]

POLEMICS Po*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.

POLEMIST Pol"e*mist, n.

Defn: A polemic. [R.]

POLEMONIACEOUS Pol`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.

POLEMONIUM Pol`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.

POLEMOSCOPE Po*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.

POLEMY Pol"e*my, n. Etym: [See Polemic.]

Defn: Warfare; war; hence, contention; opposition. [Obs.]

POLENTA Po*len"ta, n. Etym: [It., fr. L. polenta peeled barley.]

Defn: Pudding made of Indian meal; also, porridge made of chestnut meal. [Italy]

POLER Pol"er, n.

Defn: One who poles.

POLER Pol"er, n.

Defn: An extortioner. See Poller. [Obs.] Bacon.

POLESTAR Pole"star`, n.

1. Polaris, or the north star. See North star, under North.

2. A guide or director.

POLEWARDS Pole"wards, adv.

Defn: Toward a pole of the earth. "The regions further polewards." Whewell.

POLEWIG Pole"wig, n. Etym: [Cf. Polliwig.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European spotted goby (Gobius minutus); -- called also pollybait. [Prov. Eng.]

POLEY Po"ley, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Poly.

POLEY Po"ley, a.

Defn: Without horns; polled. [Prov. Eng.] "That poley heifer." H. Kingsley.

POLIANITE Po"li*a*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)

Defn: Manganese dioxide, occurring in tetragonal crystals nearly as hard as quartz.

POLICATE Pol"i*cate, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Pollicate.

POLICE Po*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.

POLICE Po*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.

POLICED Po*liced", a.

Defn: Regulated by laws for the maintenance of peace and order, enforced by organized administration. "A policed kingdom." Howell.

POLICEMAN Po*lice"man, n.; pl. Policemen (.

Defn: A member of a body of police; a constable.

POLICE POWER Police 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.

POLICIAL Po*li"cial (, a.

Defn: Relating to the police. [R.]

POLICIED Pol"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.

POLICY Pol"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.

POLING Pol"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.

POLISH Pol"ish, a. Etym: [From Pole a Polander.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Poland or its inhabitants. -- n.

Defn: The language of the Poles.

POLISH Pol"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polished; p. pr. & vb. n. Polishing.] Etym: [F. polir, L. polire. Cf. Polite, -ish]