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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

3 entries under this word

Poll

Pŏll, n.

noun

n. [L. Ger. polle, the head, the crest of a bird, the top of a tree, D. bol, a ball, bowl, bulb, pate, poll, L. Ger. bolle, a bulb, ball.]

  1. The head of a person, or the back part of the head; — sometimes, in composition, applied to the head of a beast, as in poll-evil. “All flaxen was his poll.” Shak.
  2. A register of heads, that is, of persons. Shak. The muster file . . . amounts not to fifteen thousand poll. Shak.
  3. Hence, the entry of the names of electors who vote for civil officers.
  4. An election of civil officers.
  5. The place where an election is held.
  6. A fish; — called also chub, or chevin. See POLLARD.

Pŏll, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. POLLED; p. pr. & vb. n. POLLING.] [L. Ger. polle, the top of a tree. Cf. Eng. bole, the body or stem of a tree. See supra.]

Sense 1. To remove the poll or head of; hence, to remove the top or ends of; to clip; to lop; to shear; to cut closely; as, to poll the head, the hair, or the wool; to poll the branches of a tree; also, sometimes, to mow or crop; as, to poll grass.

His death did so grieve them that they polled themselves; they clipped off their horse and mule’s hairs. North.

Sense 2. Hence, to strip off; to bring to naught.

Who, as he polled off his dart’s head, so sure had he decreed That all the counsels of their war he would poll off like it. Chapman.

Sense 3. To enter, as polls or persons, in a list or register, especially for purposes of taxation; to enumerate one by one; to enroll.

Polling the reformed churches whether they equalize in number those of his three kingdoms. Milton.

Sense 4. Hence, to extort from; to exact from; to plunder. [Obs.] “Which polls and pills the poor in piteous wise.” Spenser.

Sense 5. To pay as one’s personal tax. “The man that polls but twelve pence for his head.” Dryden.

Sense 6. To deposit, as a vote; to bring to the polls; to elicit or call forth, as a number of votes or voters.

And poll for points of faith his trusty vote. Tickell.

Sense 7. (Law.) To cut or shave smooth or even; to cut in a straight line without indentation; as, a polled deed. Burrill.

To poll a jury, to examine each member of the party individually as to his concurrence in a verdict which has been rendered by them.

Pŏll, n.

noun

n. 1. [From Polly, a name.] A parrot; — familiarly so called. 2. [Gr. οἱ πολλοί, the many, the rabble.] One who does not try for honors, but is contented to obtain a degree merely. [Cambridge Univ., Eng.]