A Poll Was Originally the Top of Your Head
A poll is a vote or survey. The word first meant a head, and counting heads gave the rest.
A poll is a vote, a count of opinions, or the place where voting happens. It began as a word for the head, specifically the top or crown of it, and counting people meant counting heads. That gives *poll tax*, a tax per head, and *polling station*, where heads are counted. The same word explains *to poll* a tree or an animal, meaning to cut the top off: a *pollarded* willow has had its crown removed, and a *polled* breed of cattle is hornless.
- A vote. *Going to the polls.*
- An opinion survey. *An opinion poll.*
- The head (archaic). *The poll.*
- To cut the top off. *A pollarded tree.*
- Middle Low German — *polle*, a head. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | poll | A poll. |
| Verb | poll | Polling. |
| Adjective | pollard | A pollard willow. |
| Compound | poll tax | A poll tax. |
| Adjective | polled | Polled cattle. |
- The polls closed at ten.Voting.
- A poll tax is charged per head.Tax.
- The willows were pollarded.Trees.
Head words in English
- Poll — the crown of the head, hence counting people
- Capital — from Latin *caput*, a head
- Chief and chef — both from *caput* through French
- Cattle and chattel — property counted by the head
- Per capita — by heads
Middle Low German or Middle Dutch *polle*, the top of the head.
Why is a vote called a poll?
Because a poll was the head, and counting voters meant counting heads.
What is a pollarded tree?
One whose crown has been cut off to encourage new growth, using the same word for the top of the head.