English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

pogue

noun

A kiss, in Irish-influenced slang.

poh

noun

The negative logarithm, to base ten, of the hydroxide-ion concentration expressed in moles per litre.

poi

noun

A traditional Hawaiian dish made by pounding cooked taro root into a smooth, often fermented, paste.

poignancy

noun

A quality that makes something feel deeply sad or moving.

poignant

adj

Deeply moving, often with a touch of sadness.

Poindexter

noun

An informal, often mocking term for someone seen as overly bookish, nerdy, or socially awkward.

poinsettia

noun

A poinsettia is a plant with small flowers surrounded by large, bright red leaves, widely used as a Christmas decoration.

point

noun

The sharp or narrow end of something.

point of view

noun

The particular way a person thinks about or judges something, shaped by their own position, experience or interests.

pointe

noun

The tip of the toes, especially as used in a ballet position where a dancer balances fully on the toes.

pointed

adj

Having a sharp end.

pointed out

verb

Past tense of point out: to draw someone's attention to a fact, especially one they have missed or would rather not face.

pointer

noun

A useful tip or piece of advice.

Pointers

name

The plural of pointer, also used as a name for sports teams and mascots.

pointful

adj

Meaningful and relevant to the matter at hand.

pointing

noun

The act of indicating direction or location with a finger or object.

pointless

adj

Having no useful purpose; not worth doing.

points

noun

The movable rails on a railway track used to switch a train from one line to another.

pointy

adj

Having a sharp point; tapering to a narrow end.

Poirot

name

A surname of French origin, famous as the name of Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot.

poise

noun

A calm, self-assured manner; composure under pressure.

poised

adj

Calm, self-possessed, and confident in manner.

poison

noun

A substance that can injure or kill a living thing if it enters the body.

poisoned

adj

Harmed, killed, or contaminated by poison.

poisoner

noun

A person who kills or harms someone using poison.

poisoning

noun

Harm or illness caused by a poisonous substance entering the body.

poisonous

adj

Containing enough poison to harm or kill if touched, eaten, or breathed in.

poisonousness

noun

How poisonous something is.

Poitiers

name

A city in west-central France, historically significant and the site of several famous battles.

poke

verb

To prod or jab something with a finger or object.

poker

noun

A metal rod used to stir and adjust burning coals or logs in a fire.

poker face

noun

A blank expression that gives away nothing about what a person is thinking or feeling.

pokey

adj

Small and cramped.

poking

noun

The act of jabbing or prodding something.

poky

adj

Small, cramped and often in poor condition.

pol

noun

A politician (informal, especially American).

Polack

noun

A Polish person (often considered an ethnic slur in English).

Poland

name

A country in Central Europe.

Polanski

name

A Polish surname, borne notably by filmmaker Roman Polanski.

polar

adj

Relating to, or near, the North or South Pole.

Polaris

noun

The North Star, a bright star located almost directly above the North Pole and long used for navigation.

polarity

noun

The property of having two opposite poles or charges, such as positive and negative in electricity or north and south in magnetism.

polarization

noun

The process by which a group, especially a country's electorate, splits into two opposed camps with fewer and fewer people holding middle-ground views.

polarized

adjective

Split into two sharply opposed groups, with little agreement or middle ground left between them.

polarizing

adj

Causing people to have strongly opposing opinions.

polaroid

noun

A camera that instantly develops and prints its own photos, or a photo produced by one.

pole

noun

A long, slender piece of wood or metal used for support or construction.

polecat

noun

Any of several long, slender mammals related to the weasel.

polemic

noun

A polemic is a strongly worded piece of writing or speech that argues forcefully against a particular idea, person or practice.

polenta

noun

A dish of boiled cornmeal, often served soft like porridge or cooled, sliced, and fried or grilled.

police

noun

The official organization responsible for enforcing laws and keeping public order.

policeman

noun

A male member of a police force.

policewoman

noun

A female member of a police force.

policing

noun

The activity of maintaining law and order, or of monitoring and enforcing rules.

policy

noun

A course of action or set of principles adopted by a government, organization, or person.

policyholder

noun

A person or company that holds an insurance contract and pays the insurer to cover a risk.

Polio

noun

A viral disease that can cause paralysis, historically common before vaccination.

poliomyelitis

noun

A serious viral illness that attacks the nerves controlling movement, causing weakness, paralysis and sometimes lasting deformity.

polis

name

A town and municipality of Paphos district, Cyprus; in full, Polis Chrysochous.

Polish

verb

To rub a surface until it is smooth and shiny.

polished

adj

Made smooth and shiny through polishing.

polishing

noun

The act of rubbing something to make it smooth or shiny, or of refining it.

polite

adj

Showing good manners and consideration for others.

politely

adv

In a polite, well-mannered way.

politeness

noun

The quality of being well-mannered and considerate.

politesse

noun

Formal, refined politeness, or an act showing it.

politic

adj

Shrewd and careful in dealing with people or situations; diplomatic.

political

adj

Relating to government, politics, or the exercise of public power.

politically

adv

In a manner relating to politics or political strategy.

politician

noun

A person who holds or seeks elected or appointed government office.

politicise

verb

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of politicize.

politicization

noun

The process of making something political, or the state of having become so.

politicize

verb

To take part in political talk or activity.

politicly

adv

In a careful, shrewd way that shows good judgement.

politico

noun

A politician.

politics

noun

The activities and methods involved in governing a country, organization, or group.

polity

noun

The way a state or religious body is organised and governed.

Polk

verb

To dance the polka.

polka

noun

A lively couple dance in duple time that originated in Bohemia, or the brisk music written for it.

poll

noun

A survey that asks people questions to gauge public opinion.

Pollack

name

A surname, a variant of Pollock, sometimes denoting Polish origin.

Pollard

noun

A tree that has been pruned back hard to the trunk so it grows a dense crown of new shoots.

pollen

noun

The fine, powdery substance produced by flowers, containing the plant's male reproductive cells.

pollex

noun

The thumb, or the first digit of an animal's front limb, matching the big toe on the back limb; in birds, it forms the joint that carries the alula.

pollinate

verb

To put pollen onto the female part of a flower.

polling

noun

The activity of surveying opinions or running a vote.

pollock

noun

A lean, white-fleshed marine fish related to cod, widely used in fish fingers and fast food.

pollutant

noun

A substance, often waste produced by people, that makes something dirty or unclean.

pollute

verb

To make air, water, or land dirty or harmful, usually by adding waste or chemicals.

polluted

adj

Made dirty or unsafe by contamination.

polluting

adj

Causing pollution; tending to contaminate the environment.

pollution

noun

The contamination of the environment with harmful substances, noise, or light.

Pollux

name

A bright star in the constellation Gemini.

Polly

name

A female given name, and a traditional pet name for a parrot.

Pollyanna

noun

Someone who stays relentlessly upbeat and optimistic, even when the situation gives them every reason not to be.

polo

noun

A team sport played on horseback, in which riders use long mallets to hit a ball into the opposing goal.

polonium

noun

A rare, intensely radioactive chemical element, symbol Po, atomic number 84.

Polonius

noun

A meddling person who gives long-winded, ultimately poor advice.

poltergeist

noun

A supposed ghost or spirit blamed for noises and the mysterious movement of objects.

poltroon

noun

An utter coward, especially one who is also mean-spirited.

poly

noun

Informal short form of polytechnic, a college focused on technical and vocational subjects.

polyamorous

adjective

Having or open to having more than one romantic or sexual relationship at the same time, with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved.

polyamory

noun

The practice of having more than one romantic or sexual partner at once, with everyone involved knowing and agreeing to it.

polyandry

noun

Polyandry is a form of marriage in which a woman has two or more husbands at the same time.

polychromatic

adj

Having many different colours, or changing colour.

polychronic

adj

Occurring at various different times.

polydactyly

noun

A congenital condition in which a person or animal has more than the usual number of digits (fingers or toes) on at least one of the hands or feet.

polyester

noun

A synthetic fabric or plastic made from chains of ester-linked polymer molecules.

polyethylene

noun

A common plastic made of many ethylene units joined together, used for containers and kitchenware.

polygamous

adj

Connected with, or practising, having more than one spouse at once.

polygamy

noun

The practice or condition of having more than one spouse at the same time.

polyglot

noun

A person who knows and can use several languages.

polygraph

noun

A device, popularly called a lie detector, that records changes in breathing, pulse, and skin response while someone answers questions.

polygyny

noun

The custom of a man having several wives at once, also known as plurality of wives.

polyhedron

noun

A solid shape made up of many flat faces and straight edges.

polymath

noun

A person with deep knowledge and ability across many different subjects.

polymer

noun

A large molecule made of many repeating smaller units (monomers) chemically bonded together.

polymorphism

noun

The ability to take on different forms or shapes.

Polynesia

noun

A vast region of the central and southern Pacific made up of thousands of islands, including Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti, and Easter Island.

Polynesian

adj

Relating to Polynesia, the islands of the central and south Pacific such as Hawaii, Samoa, and Tahiti.

polynomial

noun

In algebra, an expression made of a finite sum of terms, each a constant multiplied by variables raised to whole-number powers.

polyp

noun

A tube-shaped coelenterate, for example the hydra, with a mouth ringed by tentacles.

polyphony

noun

A style of music made up of several separate melodic lines heard together, unlike music with just one line or one main tune backed by chords.

polypus

noun

A phenomenon noted in medicine.

polysemic

adj

Having several different meanings.

polysemy

noun

The fact that a single word or symbol has several related meanings.

polysexual

adjective

Attracted to people of many genders, but not necessarily all of them.

polysyllabic

adjective

A polysyllabic word has more than one syllable.

polytechnic

noun

A college or institute that teaches applied sciences, engineering, and technical skills rather than purely academic subjects.

polytheism

noun

The belief that more than one god exists.

polytheist

noun

Someone who believes in, or supports, the idea of many gods.

polytony

noun

The property of being polytonic.

pom

noun

Informal Australian and New Zealand term for an English person.

pomace

noun

The soft mashed material left over after something has been pressed to get out its juice or oil.

pomade

noun

An oily or waxy product used to shape hair so it looks smooth and glossy.

pomate

noun

Another word for ointment, especially a thick, waxy kind scented with fruit and used on the skin or hair.

pomatum

noun

Another word for ointment, especially a thick, waxy kind scented with fruit and used on the skin or hair.

pomegranate

noun

A round fruit with tough reddish skin and many juicy, sweet-tart seeds inside.

pomelo

noun

A very large citrus fruit with a thick rind, thick white pith and semi-sweet pale flesh.

Pomeroy

noun

A variety of large English apple.

pommel

noun

The raised front part of a saddle.

pomp

noun

Grand, ceremonial display; splendor and formality associated with an important occasion.

pompadour

noun

A hairstyle in which the hair is swept up and back from the forehead.

pompeian

adj

Connected with Pompey.

Pompeii

name

An ancient Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Pompey

name

The Anglicized name of the Roman general and statesman Pompeius Magnus.

pompom

noun

A small round ball made from strands of fabric, tinsel, plastic or paper tied together in the middle, used for decoration or waved by cheerleaders.

pomposity

noun

The trait of being pompous, or thinking too highly of yourself.

pompous

adj

Overly self-important, grand, or full of exaggerated dignity.

pon

noun

In mahjong, a call made to claim a discarded tile in order to form a set of three matching tiles.