◙ noun 1. [常作 the polls] the process of voting in an election • 投票 »the country went to the polls on March 10. 该国于3月10日举行投票。 a record of the number of votes cast in an election • 票数 »the ruling party won 24 seats, narrowly topping the poll. 执政党赢得了24席，勉强获得最高票数。 (the polls)the places where votes are cast in an election • 投票站 »the polls have only just closed. 投票站刚刚才关闭。 short foropinion poll • opinion poll 的简称 2. (dialect)a person's head • [方] 人头 the part of the head on which hair grows; the scalp • 头顶；头皮 3. a hornless animal, especially one of a breed of hornless cattle • 无角动物（尤指无角牛）。 参见red poll ◙ verb, [with obj.] 1. [常作 be polled] record the opinion or vote of • 做民意调查；记票 »over half of those polled do not believe the prime minister usually tells the truth. 半数以上接受民意调查的人认为首相经常不说真话。 [no obj., with adverbial] (of a candidate in an election) receive a specified number of votes • （候选人）获得票数 »the Green candidate polled 3.6 per cent. 绿党候选人获得了3.6%的票数。 [Telecommunications & Computing] check the status of (a measuring device, part of a computer, or a node in a network), especially as part of a repeated cycle • [电信，计算机] 轮询，探询 2. cut the horns off (an animal, especially a young cow) • 截掉（动物，尤指小牛）的角 (archaic)cut off the top of (a tree or plant), typically to encourage further growth;pollard • [古] （尤指为了促进生长而）截去（树或植物）的梢；修枝
【派生】
♦ pollee noun （限动词义项 1）
【语源】
1. Middle English (in the sense 'head'): perhaps of Low German origin. The original sense was 'head', and hence 'an individual person among a number', from which developed the sense 'number of people ascertained by counting of heads' and then 'counting of heads or of votes' (17th cent.)