Poll \Poll\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polled; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Polling.]
   1. To remove the poll or head of; hence, to remove the top or
      end of; to clip; to lop; to shear; as, to poll the head;
      to poll a tree.
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            When he [Absalom] pollled his head.   --2 Sam. xiv.
                                                  26.
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            His death did so grieve them that they polled
            themselves; they clipped off their horse and mule's
            hairs.                                --Sir T.
                                                  North.
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   2. To cut off; to remove by clipping, shearing, etc.; to mow
      or crop; -- sometimes with off; as, to poll the hair; to
      poll wool; to poll grass.
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            Who, as he polled off his dart's head, so sure he
            had decreed
            That all the counsels of their war he would poll off
            like it.                              --Chapman.
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   3. To extort from; to plunder; to strip. [Obs.]
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            Which polls and pills the poor in piteous wise.
                                                  --Spenser.
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   4. To impose a tax upon. [Obs.]
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   5. To pay as one's personal tax.
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            The man that polled but twelve pence for his head.
                                                  --Dryden.
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   6. To enter, as polls or persons, in a list or register; to
      enroll, esp. for purposes of taxation; to enumerate one by
      one.
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            Polling the reformed churches whether they equalize
            in number those of his three kingdoms. --Milton.
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   7. To register or deposit, as a vote; to elicit or call
      forth, as votes or voters; as, he polled a hundred votes
      more than his opponent.
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            And poll for points of faith his trusty vote.
                                                  --Tickell.
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   8. (Law) To cut or shave smooth or even; to cut in a straight
      line without indentation; as, a polled deed. See Dee?
      poll. --Burrill.
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   To poll a jury, to call upon each member of the jury to
      answer individually as to his concurrence in a verdict
      which has been rendered.
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Polling \Poll"ing\, n. [See Poll the head.]
   1. The act of topping, lopping, or cropping, as trees or
      hedges.
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   2. Plunder, or extortion. [Obs.] --E. Hall.
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   3. The act of voting, or of registering a vote.
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   Polling booth, a temporary structure where the voting at an
      election is done; a polling place.
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poll
polling
sniff

   To check the status of an input line, sensor, or memory
   location to see if a particular external event has been
   registered.

   Contrast interrupt.

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   (1995-01-31)