pool

pool
\ \ Pool of water [OE] and poolcollective amount’ [17] are distinct words in English. The former comes from a prehistoric West Germanic *pōl-, source also of German pfuhl and Dutch poel. The latter was borrowed from French poulehen’, a descendant of Latin pullusyoung chicken’ (source also of English pony, poultry, and pullet). There was a French game called jeu de la poule, the ‘hen game’, involving throwing things at a hen – which you won as a prize if you hit it. Hence poule came to be used figuratively for ‘target’, and also for ‘that which is at stake in a game’ – source of the original meaning of English pool, ‘stake’. This evolved via ‘stake made up of players’ contributions’ to ‘collective amount’ and ‘collective resource’. Pool the snooker-like game is the same word; the game was originally played for a collective stake.
\ \ Cf.FOAL, PONY, POULTRY, PULLET

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • pool — pool …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • pool — [ pul ] n. m. • 1887; mot angl.→ 2. poule ♦ Anglic. 1 ♦ Groupement (de personnes physiques ou morales) assurant la gestion commune d une opération, de ressources, de moyens. ⇒ coopération; cartel, entente, groupe. Le pool charbon acier : la… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Pool — may refer to: Bodies of water*Plunge pool, small, deep body of water *The River Pool, river in England, tributary to the River Ravensbourne *Reflecting pool, shallow pool of water designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings: **Capitol… …   Wikipedia

  • Pool — (dt. Becken) bezeichnet: ein Schwimmbecken oder Swimmingpool ein indisches Massemaß, 1 Pool = 45,359 Gramm Pool (Kongo), eine Region in der Republik Kongo im Pétanque bzw. Boule Spiel eine Anfangsformation (Vierergruppe einer Vorrunde). Bei… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pool — Pool, n. [F. poule, properly, a hen. See {Pullet}.] [Written also {poule}.] 1. The stake played for in certain games of cards, billiards, etc.; an aggregated stake to which each player has contributed a snare; also, the receptacle for the stakes …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pool — 1 n 1: an aggregation of the interests, obligations, or undertakings of several parties working together an insurance pool 2: a group of people available for some purpose see also jury pool pool 2 vt: to combine (as a …   Law dictionary

  • pool — pool1 [po͞ol] n. [ME < OE pol, akin to Du poel & Ger pfuhl, prob. ult. < IE base * bhel , to shine, glimmer] 1. a small pond, as in a garden 2. a small collection of liquid, as a puddle 3. SWIMMING POOL 4. a deep, still spot in a river ☆ …   English World dictionary

  • pool — s.m.inv. ES ingl. {{wmetafile0}} 1. TS econ., fin. aggregazione, coalizione di imprese operanti nello stesso settore economico, o in settori complementari, per l adozione di comuni politiche di mercato 2. TS econ. organismo internazionale… …   Dizionario italiano

  • Pool — Pool, n. [AS. p[=o]l; akin to LG. pool, pohl, D. poel, G. pfuhl; cf. Icel. pollr, also W. pwll, Gael. poll.] 1. A small and rather deep collection of (usually) fresh water, as one supplied by a spring, or occurring in the course of a stream; a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pool — Ⅰ. pool [1] ► NOUN 1) a small area of still water. 2) (also swimming pool) an artificial pool for swimming in. 3) a small, shallow patch of liquid lying on a surface. 4) a deep place in a river. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • pool — s.n. Înţelegere temporară între întreprinderi privind stabilirea unor preţuri comune, a folosirii în comun a unor patente sau a influenţării cursului hârtiilor de valoare. [pron. pul. / < engl.. pool – asociaţie]. Trimis de LauraGellner, 28.07 …   Dicționar Român

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