Pool
Shawn asked about the
word pool -- its origin, meaning, and use. According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, here are three
separate nouns with that spelling and two verbs.
Pool, n.1 is based on
words in Dutch, Danish, Lithuanian, and German that meant a hole, bog, or
swamp. Historically, variant meanings developed this way:
- a small body of still or standing water
- a lake of any size
- a whirlpool
- a puddle
- a still, deep place in a river or stream
- something resembling a pool
- an oil-producing formation
- a swimming pool
Pool, n.2 has an unknown
origin. It is defined as a measure of work or materials used in roofing and
flooring.
Pool, n.3 came from a
French word meaning the collective stakes in a game. The meanings fell out this
way:
- a card game in which there is a collective
stake to be won
- the kitty or pot
- any of various types of billiards
- a shooting contest in which the competitors
pay a certain sum for every shot fired
- the proceeds divided among the backers of
the winner in a sporting contest
- an organized system of gambling on the
results of football matches
- an informal wager in which a group of
participants stake identical (usually low) sums on a quantifiable aspect
of an (often non-competitive) event
- a fencing contest in which each member of
one team fights each member of the other
- a group of contestants or teams who compete
against each other, especially to decide which should advance to the next
round of a tournament
- a common business fund from which backing is
provided, especially for speculation on financial markets
- a common supply of goods, commodities, or
resources available for use when needed
- a group of people whose abilities or
services may be drawn upon when needed, or who share duties within an
organization
- a group of selected journalists and
photographers who have special access to news sources, esp. in government
or the military
- a register of freelance dockers or sailors
seeking employment
Pool, v.1 shares its
origin with pool, n.1. Among its meanings are
- to be or become marshy
- of liquid, to stand or stagnate
- of blood, to accumulate in parts of the vein
system
- to make a hole in a rock or the ground
Pool, v.2 is connected
to pool, n.3. A couple of the
meanings are
- to combine resources for the common benefit
- to inform on someone
Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts
Dictionary, 2nd edition
Nook edition
Nook edition
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