Polar

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Polar \Po"lar\, a. [Cf. F. polaire. See {Pole} of the earth.]
     1. Of or pertaining to one of the poles of the earth, or of a
        sphere; situated near, or proceeding from, one of the
        poles; as, polar regions; polar seas; polar winds.
        [1913 Webster]
  


     2. Of or pertaining to the magnetic pole, or to the point to
        which the magnetic needle is directed.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Geom.) Pertaining to, reckoned from, or having a common
        radiating point; as, polar coordinates.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Polar axis}, that axis of an astronomical instrument, as an
        equatorial, which is parallel to the earths axis.
  
     {Polar bear} (Zool.), a large bear ({Ursus maritimus} syn.
        {Thalarctos maritimus}) inhabiting the arctic regions. It
        sometimes measures nearly nine feet in length and weighs
        1,600 pounds. It is partially amphibious, very powerful,
        and the most carnivorous of all the bears. The fur is
        white, tinged with yellow. Called also {White bear}. See
        {Bear}.
  
     {Polar body}, {Polar cell}, or {Polar globule} (Biol.), a
        minute cell which separates by karyokinesis from the ovum
        during its maturation. In the maturation of ordinary ova
        two polar bodies are formed, but in parthogenetic ova only
        one. The first polar body formed is usually larger than
        the second one, and often divides into two after its
        separation from the ovum. Each of the polar bodies removes
        maternal chromatin from the ovum to make room for the
        chromatin of the fertilizing spermatozoon; but their
        functions are not fully understood.
  
     {Polar circles} (Astron. & Geog.), two circles, each at a
        distance from a pole of the earth equal to the obliquity
        of the ecliptic, or about 23[deg] 28', the northern called
        the arctic circle, and the southern the antarctic circle.
        
  
     {Polar clock}, a tube, containing a polarizing apparatus,
        turning on an axis parallel to that of the earth, and
        indicating the hour of the day on an hour circle, by being
        turned toward the plane of maximum polarization of the
        light of the sky, which is always 90[deg] from the sun.
  
     {Polar coordinates}. See under 3d {Coordinate}.
  
     {Polar dial}, a dial whose plane is parallel to a great
        circle passing through the poles of the earth. --Math.
        Dict.
  
     {Polar distance}, the angular distance of any point on a
        sphere from one of its poles, particularly of a heavenly
        body from the north pole of the heavens.
  
     {Polar equation of a line} or {Polar equation of a surface},
        an equation which expresses the relation between the polar
        coordinates of every point of the line or surface.
  
     {Polar forces} (Physics), forces that are developed and act
        in pairs, with opposite tendencies or properties in the
        two elements, as magnetism, electricity, etc.
  
     {Polar hare} (Zool.), a large hare of Arctic America ({Lepus
        arcticus}), which turns pure white in winter. It is
        probably a variety of the common European hare ({Lepus
        timidus}).
  
     {Polar lights}, the aurora borealis or australis.
  
     {Polar opposition}, or {Polaric opposition} or {Polar
     contrast} or {Polaric contrast} (Logic), an opposition or
        contrast made by the existence of two opposite conceptions
        which are the extremes in a species, as white and black in
        colors; hence, as great an opposition or contrast as
        possible.
  
     {Polar projection}. See under {Projection}.
  
     {Polar spherical triangle} (Spherics), a spherical triangle
        whose three angular points are poles of the sides of a
        given triangle. See 4th {Pole}, 2.
  
     {Polar whale} (Zool.), the right whale, or bowhead. See
        {Whale}.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Polar \Po"lar\, n. (Conic Sections)
     The right line drawn through the two points of contact of the
     two tangents drawn from a given point to a given conic
     section. The given point is called the pole of the line. If
     the given point lies within the curve so that the two
     tangents become imaginary, there is still a real polar line
     which does not meet the curve, but which possesses other
     properties of the polar. Thus the focus and directrix are
     pole and polar. There are also poles and polar curves to
     curves of higher degree than the second, and poles and polar
     planes to surfaces of the second degree.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  polar
       adj 1: having a pair of equal and opposite charges
       2: characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed; "in
          diametric contradiction to his claims"; "diametrical (or
          opposite) points of view"; "opposite meanings"; "extreme
          and indefensible polar positions" [syn: {diametric}, {diametrical},
           {opposite}]
       3: located at or near or coming from the earth's poles; "polar
          diameter"; "polar zone"; "a polar air mass"; "Antarctica
          is the only polar continent"
       4: of or existing at or near a geographical pole or within the
          Arctic or Antarctic Circles; "polar regions" [ant: {equatorial}]
       5: extremely cold; "an arctic climate";  "a frigid day"; "gelid
          waters of the North Atlantic"; "glacial winds"; "icy
          hands"; "polar weather" [syn: {arctic}, {frigid}, {gelid},
           {glacial}, {icy}]
       6: being of crucial importance; "a pivotal event"; "Its pivotal
          location has also exposed it to periodic invasions"- Henry
          Kissinger; "the polar events of this study"; "a polar
          principal" [syn: {pivotal}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  57 Moby Thesaurus words for "polar":
     Antarctic, Arctic, Siberian, antagonistic, antipodal, antipodean,
     antithetic, antithetical, boundary, brumal, caudal, conclusive,
     confronting, contradictory, contrapositive, contrary, converse,
     counter, definitive, determinative, diamagnetic, diametric,
     electromagnetic, endmost, eventual, extreme, eyeball-to-eyeball,
     facing, farthest, ferromagnetic, final, freezing, frigid, frozen,
     glacial, hibernal, hostile, hyperborean, icy, inverse, last,
     limiting, magnetic, numbing, obverse, opposed, opposing, opposite,
     polaric, polarized, reverse, tail, terminal, terminating,
     terminative, ultimate, wintry