The North Pole and a Tent Pole Are Different Words
A pole is a long rod. A separate pole is an end of the earth's axis.
A pole is a long slender rod, and also either end of the earth's axis or of a magnet. They are two separate words. The rod is Latin *palus*, a stake, the same source as *pale* in *beyond the pale* and *palisade*. The axis end is Greek *polos*, a pivot, from *pelein*, to turn — the point the sky appears to turn around. Magnetic poles borrow the second sense, which is why a compass needle has a north and south pole but a flagpole has neither.
- A long rod. *A tent pole.*
- An end of the axis. *The North Pole.*
- A magnetic end. *The south pole.*
- Poles apart. *They are poles apart.*
- Latin — *palus*, a stake. *The rod.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pole | A pole. |
| Plural | poles | Poles. |
| Adjective | polar | Polar. |
| Related | pale | A pale. |
| Greek | polos | A pivot. |
- He leaned on a pole.Rod.
- They reached the South Pole.Geography.
- Opposite poles attract.Magnetism.
Three different norths
- True north — the geographic pole, the axis end
- Magnetic north — where a compass points, and it moves
- Grid north — north on a map's grid lines
- Magnetic north has drifted hundreds of kilometres in a century
- The difference between true and magnetic is called declination
The rod is Old English *pal*, from Latin *palus*, a stake. The axis is Latin *polus*, from Greek *polos*, a pivot.
Are the two poles the same word?
No. The rod comes from Latin palus, a stake; the axis end comes from Greek polos, a pivot.
Does a compass point to the North Pole?
Not exactly. It points to magnetic north, which sits some distance away and moves over time.