*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pole

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-der. Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-slos Proto-Italic *pākslos Latin pālusbor. Proto-West Germanic *pālu Proto-West Germanic *pāl Old English pāl Middle English pole English poleFrom

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To propel by pushing with poles, to push with a pole. · To identify something quite precisely using a telescope. · To furnish with poles for support. · To convey on poles.

noun

Originally, a stick; now specifically, a long and slender piece of metal or (especially) wood, used for various construction or support purposes. · A construction by which an animal is harnessed to a carriage. · A type of basic fishing rod. · A long sports implement used for pole-vaulting; now made of glassfiber or carbon fiber, formerly also metal, bamboo and wood have been used.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-der. Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-slos Proto-Italic *pākslos Latin pālusbor. Proto-West Germanic *pālu Proto-West Germanic *pāl Old English pāl Middle English pole English poleFrom Middle English pole, pal, from Old English pāl (“a pole, stake, post; a kind of hoe or spade”), from Proto-West Germanic *pāl (“pole”), from Latin pālus (“stake, pale, prop, stay”), perhaps from Old Latin *paxlos, from Proto-Italic *pākslos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (“to nail, fasten”). Doublet of peel, pale, and palus. Cognates Cognate with Scots pale, paill (“stake, pale”), North Frisian pul, pil (“stake, pale”), Saterland Frisian Pool (“pole”), West Frisian poal (“pole”), Dutch paal (“pole”), German Pfahl (“pile, stake, post, pole”), Danish pæl (“pole”), Swedish påle (“pole”), Icelandic páll (“hoe, spade, pale”), Old English fæc (“space of time, while, division, interval; lustrum”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 9 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*peh₂ǵ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:pole",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-der.\nProto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-slos\nProto-Italic *pākslos\nLatin pālusbor.\nProto-West Germanic *pālu\nProto-West Germanic *pāl\nOld English pāl\nMiddle English pole\nEnglish pole\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"stake\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"attach\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*peh₂ǵ-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*peh₂ǵ-slos\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*pākslos\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"pālus\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*pālu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*pāl\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"pāl\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"pole\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"pole\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"pole\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "stick"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "pole"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English pole"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "pāl",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a pole, stake, post; a kind of hoe or spade"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English pāl (“a pole, stake, post; a kind of hoe or spade”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*pāl",
        "4": "",
        "5": "pole"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *pāl (“pole”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "pālus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "stake, pale, prop, stay"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pālus (“stake, pale, prop, stay”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "itc-ola",
        "3": "*paxlos"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Latin *paxlos"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "itc-pro",
        "3": "*pākslos"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Italic *pākslos"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*peh₂ǵ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to nail, fasten"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (“to nail, fasten”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "peel#Etymology 2",
        "3": "pale#Etymology 2",
        "4": "palus",
        "alt1": "peel",
        "alt2": "pale"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of peel, pale, and palus"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "pale"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots pale"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "pul"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian pul"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "poal",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pole"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian poal (“pole”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "paal",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pole"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch paal (“pole”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Pfahl",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pile, stake, post, pole"
      },
      "expansion": "German Pfahl (“pile, stake, post, pole”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "pæl",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pole"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish pæl (“pole”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "påle",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pole"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish påle (“pole”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "páll",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hoe, spade, pale"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic páll (“hoe, spade, pale”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "fæc",
        "3": "",
        "4": "space of time, while, division, interval; lustrum"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fæc (“space of time, while, division, interval; lustrum”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:pole",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-der.\nProto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-slos\nProto-Italic *pākslos\nLatin pālusbor.\nProto-West Germanic *pālu\nProto-West Germanic *pāl\nOld English pāl\nMiddle English pole\nEnglish pole"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "stick"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*peh₂ǵ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/peh₂ǵ-#Proto-Indo-European:_attach"
    ],
    [
      "*peh₂ǵ-slos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/peh₂ǵ-slos"
    ],
    [
      "*pākslos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/pākslos"
    ],
    [
      "pālus",
      "palus#Latin:_stake"
    ],
    [
      "*pālu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/pālu"
    ],
    [
      "*pāl",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/pāl"
    ],
    [
      "pāl",
      "pal#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "pole",
      "pole#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pole",
      "pole#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pal",
      "pal#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pāl",
      "pal#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*pāl",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/pāl"
    ],
    [
      "pālus",
      "palus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*paxlos",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/paxlos"
    ],
    [
      "*pākslos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/pākslos"
    ],
    [
      "*peh₂ǵ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/peh₂ǵ-"
    ],
    [
      "peel",
      "peel#Etymology 2"
    ],
    [
      "pale",
      "pale#Etymology 2"
    ],
    [
      "palus",
      "palus#English"
    ],
    [
      "pale",
      "pale#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "paill",
      "paill#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "pul",
      "pul#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "pil",
      "pil#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "Pool",
      "Pool#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "poal",
      "poal#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "paal",
      "paal#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Pfahl",
      "Pfahl#German"
    ],
    [
      "pæl",
      "pæl#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "påle",
      "påle#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "páll",
      "páll#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "fæc",
      "fæc#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To propel by pushing with poles, to push with a pole.",
        "To identify something quite precisely using a telescope.",
        "To furnish with poles for support.",
        "To convey on poles."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "46fd3f68a3c10d869db544acf0a885c1d77189503dc42f626045f5f595d300c6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2def19abf0081486bc379d585bc2b20075468204d4a01372b46dc9550f6ce7c8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 153694
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Originally, a stick; now specifically, a long and slender piece of metal or (especially) wood, used for various construction or support purposes.",
        "A construction by which an animal is harnessed to a carriage.",
        "A type of basic fishing rod.",
        "A long sports implement used for pole-vaulting; now made of glassfiber or carbon fiber, formerly also metal, bamboo and wood have been used."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "fdab6dd9aacf7511a538308be979f8e19b9edc036ddab0c0a92de0802697cf9e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b6f09d5507c519893f7bf5d43a906f1d241f681a6ce198739d4fa70e4638ad1e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 153693
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 9,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Either of the two points on the earth's surface around which it rotates; also, similar points on any other rotating object. · A point of magnetic focus, especially each of the two opposing such points of a magnet (designated north and south). · Any of a small set of extremes; especially, either of two extremes that are possible or available. · A fixed point relative to other points or lines.

verb

To induce piezoelectricity in (a substance) by aligning the dipoles.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle French pole, pôle, from Latin polus, from Ancient Greek πόλος (pólos, “axis of rotation”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*kʷel-ine-pro
  • Derivation mentionpolefrm
  • Derivation mentionpolusla
  • Derivation mentionπόλοςgrc · axis of rotation

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*kʷel-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "magnetic"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "pole"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French pole"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "polus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin polus"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "πόλος",
        "t": "axis of rotation"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek πόλος (pólos, “axis of rotation”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "magnetic"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pole",
      "pole#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "pôle",
      "pôle#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "polus",
      "polus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "πόλος",
      "πόλος#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Either of the two points on the earth's surface around which it rotates; also, similar points on any other rotating object.",
        "A point of magnetic focus, especially each of the two opposing such points of a magnet (designated north and south).",
        "Any of a small set of extremes; especially, either of two extremes that are possible or available.",
        "A fixed point relative to other points or lines."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "recordId": "a6be8ffed15454cc07153ee676542736b6e7848d2920f5eed5e4d67a46376732",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8d44e87074aad5b22581ff9723cee174f6daa64bfb75c56a0ecddb3e234b790b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 153695
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To induce piezoelectricity in (a substance) by aligning the dipoles."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "c274e6d14f9055c7ad97ea393b36078bd228213af43b241ee2994087e41124ec",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9a904c9e375a266012ef92c4788026b8f0e55852b88d3bfb18691c49dbb7284b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 153696
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 4,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for pole →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cG9sZQ