Chapter 53

2. (Bot.) The fecundating dustlike cells of the anthers of flowers. See Flower, and Illust. of Filament.

Pollen grain (Bot.), a particle or call of pollen. -- Pollen mass, a pollinium. Gray. -- Pollen sac, a compartment of an anther containing pollen, -- usually there are four in each anther. -- Pollen tube, a slender tube which issues from the pollen grain on its contact with the stigma, which it penetrates, thus conveying, it is supposed, the fecundating matter of the grain to the ovule.

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Pol`len*a"ri*ous (?), a. Consisting of meal or pollen.

Pol"lened (?), a. Covered with pollen. Tennyson.

Pol`len*if"er*ous (?), a. [Pollen + -ferous.] (Bot.) Producing pollen; polliniferous.

Pol"len*in (?), n. [Cf. F. pollÈnine.] (Chem.) A substance found in the pollen of certain plants. [R.]

Pol"len*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pollenized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pollenizing (?).] To supply with pollen; to impregnate with pollen.

Poll"er (?), n. [From Poll] One who polls; specifically: (a) One who polls or lops trees. (b) One who polls or cuts hair; a barber. [R.] (c) One who extorts or plunders. [Obs.] Baex>. (d) One who registplws votplws, or one who enters his name as a voter.

||Pol"lex (?), n.; pl. Pollices (#). [the thumb.] (Anat.) The first, or ||preaxial, digit of the fore limb, corresponding to the hallux in the ||hind limb; the thumb. In birds, the pollex is the joint which bears ||the bastard wing.

Pol"li*cate (?), a. [L. pollex, pollicis, a thumb.] (Zoˆl.) Having a curved projection or spine on the inner side of a leg joint; -- said of insects.

Pol*lic`i*ta"tion (?), n. [L. pollicitatio, fr. pollicitari to promise, v. intens. fr. polliceri to promise: cf. F. pollicitation.] 1. A voluntary engagement, or a paper containing it; a promise. Bp. Burnet.

2. (Roman Law) A promise without mutuality; a promise which has not been accepted by the person to whom it is made. Bouvier.

Pol"li*nate (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Pollinose.

Pol"li*nate (?), v. t. (Bot.) To apply pollen to (a stigma). -- Pol`li*na"tion (#), n. (Bot.)

||Pol*linc"tor (?), n. [L., fr. pollingere.] (Rom. Antiq.) One who ||prepared corpses for the funeral.

Poll"ing (?), n. [See Poll the head.] 1. The act of topping, lopping, or cropping, as trees or hedges.

2. Plunder, or extortion. [Obs.] E. Hall.

3. The act of voting, or of registering a vote.

Polling booth, a temporary structure where the voting at an election is done; a polling place.

Pol`li*nif"er*ous (?), a. [L. pollen, -inis, pollen + -ferous: cf. F. pollinifËre.] (Bot.) Producing pollen; polleniferous.

||Pol*lin"i*um (?), n.; pl. Pollinia (#). [NL. See Pollen.] (Bot.) A ||coherent mass of pollen, as in the milkweed and most orchids.

Pol"li*nose` (?), a. [L. pollen, -inis, dust.] (Zoˆl.) Having the surface covered with a fine yellow dust, like pollen.

{ Pol"li*wig (?), Pol"li*wog (?) }, n. [OE. polwigle. Cf. Poll head, and Wiggle.] (Zoˆl.) A tadpole; -- called also purwiggy and porwigle.

Pol"lock (?), n. [See Pollack.] (Zoˆl.) A marine gadoid fish (Pollachius carbonarius), native both of the European and American coasts. It is allied to the cod, and like it is salted and dried. In England it is called coalfish, lob, podley, podling, pollack, etc.

Pol"lu*cite (?), n. [See Pollux, and 4th Castor.] (Min.) A colorless transparent mineral, resembling quartz, occurring with castor or castorite on the island of Elba. It is a silicate of alumina and cÊsia. Called also pollux.

Pol*lute" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polluted; p. pr. & vb. n. Polluting.] [L. pollutus, p. p. of polluere to defile, to pollute, from a prep. appearing only in comp. + luere to wash. See Position, Lave.] 1. To make foul, impure, or unclean; to defile; to taint; to soil; to desecrate; -- used of physical or moral defilement.

The land was polluted with blood.

Ps. cvi. 38

Wickedness . . . hath polluted the whole earth.

2 Esd. xv. 6.

2. To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonor.

3. (Jewish Law) To render ceremonially unclean; to disqualify or unfit for sacred use or service, or for social intercourse.

Neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

Num. xviii. 32.

They have polluted themselves with blood.

Lam. iv. 14.

Syn. -- To defile; soil; contaminate; corrupt; taint; vitiate; debauch; dishonor; ravish.

Pol*lute", a. [L. pollutus.] Polluted. [R.] Milton.

Pol*lut"ed, a. Defiled; made unclean or impure; debauched. -- Pol*lut"ed*ly, adv. -- Pol*lut"ed*ness, n.

Pol*lut"er (?), n. One who pollutes. Dryden.

Pol*lut"ing, a. Adapted or tending to pollute; causing defilement or pollution. -- Pol*lut"ing*ly, adv.

Pol*lu"tion (?), n. [L. pollutio: cf. F. pollution.] 1. The act of polluting, or the state of being polluted (in any sense of the verb); defilement; uncleanness; impurity.

2. (Med.) The emission of semen, or sperm, at other times than in sexual intercourse. Dunglison.

||Pol"lux (?), n. [L., the twin brother of castor; also, the ||constellation.] 1. (Astron.) A fixed star of the second magnitude, in ||the constellation Gemini. Cf. 3d Castor.

2. (Min.) Same as Pollucite.

Pol"ly (?), n. A woman's name; also, a popular name for a parrot.

Pol"ly*wog (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A polliwig.

Po"lo (?), n. [Of Eastern origin; -- properly, the ball used in the game.] 1. A game of ball of Eastern origin, resembling hockey, with the players on horseback.

2. A similar game played on the ice, or on a prepared floor, by players wearing skates.

Po`lo*naise" (?), a. [F. polonais, polonaise, Polish.] Of or pertaining to the Poles, or to Poland. [Written also Polonese.]

Po`lo*naise" (?), n. [Written also Polonese and Polonoise.] 1. The Polish language.

2. An article of dress for women, consisting of a body and an outer skirt in one piece.

3. (Mus.) A stately Polish dance tune, in 3-4 measure, beginning always on the beat with a quaver followed by a crotchet, and closing on the beat after a strong accent on the second beat; also, a dance adapted to such music; a polacca.

Po`lo*nese" (?), a. & n. See Polonaise.

Po*lo"ny (?), n. [Prob. corrupt. fr. Bologna.] A kind of sausage made of meat partly cooked.

Pol"ron (?), n. See Pauldron.

Polt (?), n. [Cf. E. pelt, L. pultare to beat, strike.] A blow or thump. Halliwell. -- a. Distorted.

Pot foot, a distorted foot. Sir T. Herbert.

{ Polt"-foot` (?), Polt"-foot`ed (?), } a. Having a distorted foot, or a clubfoot or clubfeet. B. Jonson.

Pol*troon" (?), n. [F. poltron, from It. poltrone an idle fellow, sluggard, coward, poltro idle, lazy, also, bed, fr. OHG. polstar, bolstar, cushion, G. polster, akin to E. bolster. See Bolster.] An arrant coward; a dastard; a craven; a mean-spirited wretch. Shak.

Pol*troon", a. Base; vile; contemptible; cowardly.

Pol*troon"er*y (?), n. [F. poltronnerie; cf. It. poltroneria.] Cowardice; want of spirit; pusillanimity.

Pol*troon"ish, a. Resembling a poltroon; cowardly.

Pol"ve*rine (?), n. [It. polverino, fr. polvere &?;ust, L. pulvis, - veris. See Powder.] Glassmaker's ashes; a kind of potash or pearlash, brought from the Levant and Syria, -- used in the manufacture of fine glass.

Pol"wig (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A polliwig. Holland.

Pol"y- (?). [See Full, a.] A combining form or prefix from Gr. poly`s, many; as, polygon, a figure of many angles; polyatomic, having many atoms; polychord, polyconic.

Po"ly (?), n. [L. polium, the name of a plant, perhaps Teucrium polium, Gr. &?;.] (Bot.) A whitish woolly plant (Teucrium Polium) of the order LabiatÊ, found throughout the Mediterranean region. The name, with sundry prefixes, is sometimes given to other related species of the same genus. [Spelt also poley.]

Poly mountain. See Poly-mountain, in Vocabulary.

Pol`y*ac"id (?), a. [Poly- + acid.] (Chem.) Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monobasic acid; having more than one hydrogen atom capable of being replaced by acid radicals; -- said of certain bases; as, calcium hydrate and glycerin are polyacid bases.

Pol`y*a*cous"tic (?), a. [Poly- + acoustic: cf. F. polyacoustique.] Multiplying or magnifying sound. -- n. A polyacoustic instrument.

Pol`y*a*cous"tics (?), n. The art of multiplying or magnifying sounds.

||Pol`y*a"cron (?), n.; pl. Polyacra (#), E. Polyacrons (#). [NL., fr. ||Gr. poly`s many + 'a`kron summit.] (Geom.) A solid having many ||summits or angular points; a polyhedron.

||Pol`y*ac*tin"i*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Actinia.] (Zoˆl.) An ||old name for those Anthozoa which, like the actinias, have numerous ||simple tentacles.

||Pol`y*a*del"phi*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + &?; ||brother.] (Bot.) A LinnÊan class of plants having stamens united in ||three or more bodies or bundles by the filaments.

{ Pol`y*a*del"phi*an (?), Pol`y*a*del"phous (?), } a. (Bot.) Belonging to the class Polyadelphia; having stamens united in three or more bundles.

||Pol`y*an"dri*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polyandry.] (Bot.) A LinnÊan ||class of monoclinous or hermaphrodite plants, having many stamens, or ||any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.

Pol`y*an"dri*an (?), a. (Bot.) Polyandrous.

Pol`y*an"dric (?), a. [Cf. polyandrique.] Pertaining to, or characterized by, polyandry; mating with several males. "Polyandric societies." H. Spencer.

Pol`y*an"drous (?), a. (Bot.) Belonging to the class Polyandria; having many stamens, or any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.

Pol`y*an"dry (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?;, &?;, man, male: cf. F. polyandrie.] The possession by a woman of more than one husband at the same time; -- contrasted with monandry.

In law, this falls under the head of polygamy.

Pol`y*an"thus (?), n.; pl. Polyanthuses (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?; rich in flowers; poly`s many + &?; flower.] [Written also polyanthos.] (Bot.) (a) The oxlip. So called because the peduncle bears a many-flowered umbel. See Oxlip. (b) A bulbous flowering plant of the genus Narcissus (N. Tazetta, or N. polyanthus of some authors). See Illust. of Narcissus.

Pol"y*ar`chist (?), n. One who advocates polyarchy; -- opposed to monarchist. Cudworth.

Pol"y*ar`chy (?), n. [Poly- + -archy: cf. F. polyarchie. Cf. Polarchy.] A government by many persons, of whatever order or class. Cudworth.

Pol`y*a*tom"ic (?), a. [Poly- + atomic.] (Chem.) (a) Having more than one atom in the molecule; consisting of several atoms. (b) Having a valence greater than one. [Obs.]

Pol`y*au*tog"ra*phy (?), n. [Poly- + autography.] The act or practice of multiplying copies of one's own handwriting, or of manuscripts, by printing from stone, -- a species of lithography.

Pol`y*ba"sic (?), a. [Poly- + basic.] (Chem.) Capable of neutralizing, or of combining with, several molecules of a monacid base; having several hydrogen atoms capable of being replaced by basic radicals; -- said of certain acids; as, sulphuric acid is polybasic.

Pol`y*ba"site (?), n. [See Polybasic.] (Min.) An iron-black ore of silver, consisting of silver, sulphur, and antimony, with some copper and arsenic.

||Pol`y*bran"chi*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Branchia.] (Zoˆl.) A ||division of Nudibranchiata including those which have numerous ||branchiÊ on the back.

Pol`y*bro"mide (?), n. [Poly- + bromide.] (Chem.) A bromide containing more than one atom of bromine in the molecule.

Pol`y*car"pel*la*ry (?), a. (Bot.) Composed of several or numerous carpels; -- said of such fruits as the orange.

{ Pol`y*car"pic (?), Pol`y*car"pous (?), } a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; fruit.] (Bot.) (a) Bearing fruit repeatedly, or year after year. (b) Having several pistils in one flower.

||Pol`y*chÊ"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. poly`s many + &?; hair.] ||(Zoˆl.) One of the two principal groups of ChÊtopoda. It includes ||those that have prominent parapodia and fascicles of setÊ. See ||Illust. under Parapodia.

Pol`y*chlo"ride (?), n. [Poly- + chloride.] (Chem.) A chloride containing more than one atom of chlorine in the molecule.

Pol`y*chúr"a*ny (?), n. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; wide-ruling.] A government by many chiefs, princes, or rules. [Obs.] Cudworth.

Pol"y*chord (?), a. [Gr. &?;; poly`s many + &?; string, cord.] Having many strings.

Pol"y*chord, n. (Mus.) (a) A musical instrument of ten strings. (b) An apparatus for coupling two octave notes, capable of being attached to a keyed instrument.

Pol"y*chrest (?), n. [Gr. &?; useful for many purposes; poly`s many + &?; useful, fr. &?; to use: cf. F. polychreste.] (Med.) A medicine that serves for many uses, or that cures many diseases. [Obs.]

Polychrest salt (Old Med. Chem.), potassium sulphate, specifically obtained by fusing niter with sulphur.

Pol"y*chro*ism (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; color.] Same as Pleochroism.

Pol"y*chro*ite (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; color: cf. F. polychroÔte.] (Chem.) The coloring matter of saffron; -- formerly so called because of the change of color on treatment with certain acids; -- called also crocin, and safranin.

Pol`y*chro"mate (?), n. [See Polychromic.] (Chem.) A salt of a polychromic acid.

Pol`y*chro"mate, n. [See Polychromatic.] (Chem.) A compound which exhibits, or from which may be prepared, a variety of colors, as certain solutions derived from vegetables, which display colors by fluorescence.

Pol`y*chro*mat"ic (?), a. [Poly- + chromatic.] Showing a variety, or a change, of colors.

Polychromatic acid (Old Chem.), a substance obtained by the action of nitric acid on aloes.

Pol"y*chrome (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; color.] (Chem.) Esculin; -- so called in allusion to its fluorescent solutions. [R.]

Pol"y*chrome, a. [Cf. F. polychrome.] Executed in the manner of polychromy; as, polychrome printing.

Pol`y*chro"mic (?), a. [Poly- + (sense 1) Gr. &?;, or (sense 2) chromic.] 1. Polychromatic.

2. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, any one of several acids (known only in their salts) which contain more than one atom of chromium.

Pol`y*chro"mous (?), a. Of or pertaining to polychromy; many-colored; polychromatic.

Pol"y*chro`my (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; color.] (Anc. Art) The art or practice of combining different colors, especially brilliant ones, in an artistic way.

Pol`y*chro"ni*ous (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; for a long time, &?; time.] Enduring through a long time; chronic.

Pol`y*clin"ic (?), n. [Poly- + clinic.] (Med.) A clinic in which diseases of many sorts are treated; especially, an institution in which clinical instruction is given in all kinds of disease.

Pol`y*con"ic (?), a. [Poly- + conic.] Pertaining to, or based upon, many cones.

Polyconic projection (Map Making), a projection of the earth's surface, or any portion thereof, by which each narrow zone is projected upon a conical surface that touches the sphere along this zone, the conical surface being then unrolled. This projection differs from conic projection in that latter assumes but one cone for the whole map. Polyconic projection is that in use in the United States coast and geodetic survey.

Pol`y*cot`y*le"don (?), n. [Poly- + cotyledon: cf. F. polycotylÈdone.] (Bot.) A plant that has many, or more than two, cotyledons in the seed. -- Pol`y*cot`y*led"on*ous (#), a.

Pol`y*cot`y*led"on*a*ry (?), a. [Poly- + cotyledonary.] (Anat.) Having the villi of the placenta collected into definite patches, or cotyledons.

Po*lyc"ra*cy (?), n. [Poly- + -cracy, as in democracy.] Government by many rulers; polyarchy.

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Pol`y*crot"ic (pl`*krt"k), a. [Poly- + Gr. krotei^n to beat.] (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to polycrotism; manifesting polycrotism; as, a polycrotic pulse; a polycrotic pulse curve.

Po*lyc"ro*tism (?), n. (Physiol.) That state or condition of the pulse in which the pulse curve, or sphygmogram, shows several secondary crests or elevations; -- contrasted with monocrotism and dicrotism.

Pol`y*cys"tid (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) One of the Polycystidea. (b) One of the Polycystina. -- a. Pertaining to the Polycystidea, or the Polycystina.

||Pol`y*cys*tid"e*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Cystidea.] (Zoˆl.) ||A division of GregarinÊ including those that have two or more ||internal divisions of the body.

||Pol`y*cys*ti"na (?), n. pl. [NL. See Poly-, and Cyst.] (Zoˆl.) A ||division of Radiolaria including numerous minute marine species. The ||skeleton is composed of silica, and is often very elegant in form and ||sculpture. Many have been found in the fossil state.

Pol`y*cys"tine (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Pertaining to the Polycystina. -- n. One of the Polycystina.

||Pol`y*cyt*ta"ri*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s many + &?;, dim. ||fr. &?; a hollow vessel.] (Zoˆl.) A division of Radiolaria. It ||includes those having one more central capsules.

Pol`y*dac"tyl*ism (?), n. [Poly- + Gr. &?; finger: cf. F. polydactylisme.] (Anat.) The possession of more that the normal number of digits.

||Pol`y*dip"si*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. poly`s much + &?; thirst.] ||(Med.) Excessive and constant thirst occasioned by disease.

Pol`y*e"dron (?), n. See Polyhedron.

Pol`y*e"drous (?), a. See Polyhedral.

Pol`y*ei"dic (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; form.] (Zoˆl.) Passing through several distinct larval forms; -- having several distinct kinds of young.

Pol`y*ei"dism (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The quality or state of being polyeidic.

Pol`y*em"bry*o*nate (?), a. [Poly- + embryonate.] (Bot.) Consisting of, or having, several embryos; polyembryonic.

Pol`y*em`bry*on"ic (?), a. [Poly- + embryonic.] (Bot.) Polyembryonate.

Pol`y*em"bry*o*ny (?), n. [See Poly- , and Embryo.] (Bot.) The production of two or more embryos in one seed, due either to the existence and fertilization of more than one embryonic sac or to the origination of embryos outside of the embryonic sac.

Pol"y*foil (?), n. [Poly- + foil, n.] (Arch.) Same as Multifoil.

||Po*lyg"a*la (?), n. [L., milkwort, fr. Gr. &?;; poly`s much + &?; ||milk.] A genus of bitter herbs or shrubs having eight stamens and a ||two-celled ovary (as the Seneca snakeroot, the flowering wintergreen, ||etc.); milkwort.

Pol`y*ga*la"ceous (?), a. Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (PolygalaceÊ) of which Polygala is the type.

Po*lyg"a*lic (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, Polygala; specifically, designating an acrid glucoside (called polygalic acid, senegin, etc.), resembling, or possibly identical with, saponin.

||Pol`y*ga"mi*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Polygamous.] (Bot.) (a) A LinnÊan ||class of plants, characterized by having both hermaphrodite and ||unisexual flowers on the same plant. (b) A name given by LinnÊus to ||file orders of plants having syngenesious flowers.

Pol`y*ga"mi*an (?), a. (Bot.) Polygamous.

Po*lyg"a*mist (?), n. [Cf. F. polygamiste, polygame, Gr. &?;, a.] One who practices polygamy, or maintains its lawfulness.

Po*lyg"a*mize (?), v. i. To practice polygamy; to marry several wives. Sylvester. Coleridge.

Po*lyg"a*mous (?), a. [Gr. &?; living &?; polygamy; poly`s many + &?; marriage. Cf. Bigamy.]

1. Of or pertaining to polygamy; characterized by, or involving, polygamy; having a plurality of wives; as, polygamous marriages; -- opposed to monogamous.

2. (Zoˆl.) Pairing with more than one female.

Most deer, cattle, and sheep are polygamous.

Darwin.

3. (Bot.) Belonging to the Polygamia; bearing both hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers on the same plant.

Po*lyg"a*my (?), n. [Gr. &?;; cf. F. polygamie.] 1. The having of a plurality of wives or husbands at the same time; usually, the marriage of a man to more than one woman, or the practice of having several wives, at the same time; -- opposed to monogamy; as, the nations of the East practiced polygamy. See the Note under Bigamy, and cf. Polyandry.

2. (Zoˆl.) The state or habit of having more than one mate.

3. (Bot.) The condition or state of a plant which bears both perfect and unisexual flowers.

Pol`y*gas"tri*an (pl`*gs"tr*an), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Polygastrica. [Obs.]

Pol`y*gas"tric (-trk), a. [Poly- + gastric: cf. F. polygastrique.] 1. (Anat.) Having several bellies; -- applied to muscles which are made up of several bellies separated by short tendons.

2. (Zoˆl.) Pertaining to the Polygastrica. [Obs.]

Pol`y*gas"tric (pl`*gs"trk), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Polygastrica.

||Pol`y*gas"tri*ca (-tr*k), n. pl. [NL. So called because they were ||supposed to have several stomachs, or digestive cavities.] (Zoˆl.) ||The Infusoria. [Obs.]

{ Pol`y*gen"e*sis (-jn"*ss), Po*lyg"e*ny (p*lj"*n), } n. [Poly- + genesis, or root of Gr. gi`gnesqai to be born.] (Biol.) The theory that living organisms originate in cells or embryos of different kinds, instead of coming from a single cell; -- opposed to monogenesis.

Pol`y*ge*net"ic (?), a. 1. Having many distinct sources; originating at various places or times.

2. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to polygenesis; polyphyletic.

Polygenetic mountain range (Geol.), one which is composite, or consists of two or more monogenetic ranges, each having had its own history of development. Dana.

Pol`y*gen"ic (-jn"k), a. (Biol.) Of or relating to polygeny; polygenetic.

Po*lyg"e*nism (p*lj"*nz'm), n. [Cf. F. polygÈnisme.] (Biol.) The doctrine that animals of the same species have sprung from more than one original pair.

Po*lyg"e*nist (-nst), n. (Biol.) One who maintains that animals of the same species have sprung from more than one original pair; -- opposed to monogenist.

Po*lyg"e*nous (?), a. [Poly- + -genous: cf. Gr. &?; of many families.] Consisting of, or containing, many kinds; as, a polygenous mountain. Kirwan.

Pol"y*glot (?), a. [Gr. poly`glwttos many-tongued; poly`s many + glw^tta, glw^ssa, tongue, language: cf. F. polyglotte.] 1. Containing, or made up, of, several languages; as, a polyglot lexicon, Bible.

2. Versed in, or speaking, many languages.

Pol"y*glot, n. 1. One who speaks several languages. [R.] "A polyglot, or good linguist." Howell.

2. A book containing several versions of the same text, or containing the same subject matter in several languages; esp., the Scriptures in several languages.

Enriched by the publication of polyglots.

Abp. Newcome.

Pol`y*glot"tous (?), a. [See Polyglot.] Speaking many languages; polyglot. [R.] "The polyglottous tribes of America." Max M¸ller.

Pol"y*gon (?), n. [Gr. poly`gwnos polygonal; poly`s many + gwni`a angle: cf. F. polygone.] (Geom.) A plane figure having many angles, and consequently many sides; esp., one whose perimeter consists of more than four sides; any figure having many angles.

Polygon of forces (Mech.), a polygonal figure, the sides of which, taken successively, represent, in length and direction, several forces acting simultaneously upon one point, so that the side necessary to complete the figure represents the resultant of those forces. Cf. Parallelogram of forces, under Parallelogram.

Pol`y*go*na"ceous (?), a. [See Polygonum.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of apetalous plants (PolygonaceÊ), of which the knotweeds (species of Polygonum) are the type, and which includes also the docks (Rumex), the buckwheat, rhubarb, sea grape (Coccoloba), and several other genera.

Po*lyg"o*nal (?), a. Having many angles.

Polygonal numbers, certain figurate numbers. See under Figurate.

Pol`y*go*neu"tic (?), a. [Poly- + Gr. &?; offspring.] (Zoˆl.) Having two or more broods in a season.

Pol`y*go*nom"e*try (?), n. [Polygon + -metry.] The doctrine of polygons; an extension of some of the principles of trigonometry to the case of polygons.

Po*lyg"o*nous (?), a. Polygonal.

||Po*lyg"o*num (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a kind of plant; poly`s many + ||go`ny the knee, a joint of a plant. So called in allusion to the ||numerous joints.] (Bot.) A genus of plants embracing a large number ||of species, including bistort, knotweed, smartweed, etc.

Po*lyg"o*ny (?), n. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Polygonum.

||Pol`y*gor"di*us (?), n. [NL. See Poly-, and Gordius.] (Zoˆl.) A genus ||of marine annelids, believed to be an ancient or ancestral type. It ||is remarkable for its simplicity of structure and want of parapodia. ||It is the type of the order Archiannelida, or Gymnotoma. See Loeven's ||larva.