pool Definition

pool¹
noun

1. A small area of still water.

Thesaurus: pond, lake, watering hole, fishpond, millpond, tarn, linn.
2. A puddle; a patch of spilt liquid.

Example: pools of blood
3. A swimming pool.
4. A deep part of a stream or river.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon pol.

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pool²
noun

1. A reserve of money, personnel, vehicles, etc used as a communal resource. Also in compounds.

Example: typing pool
Thesaurus: supply, funds, provisions, equipment, reserve, pot (slang), kitty, accumulation, combine, collective, bank, purse.
2. The combined stakes of those betting on something; a jackpot.
3. commerce.
A group of businesses with a common arrangement to maintain high prices, so eliminating competition and preserving profits.
4. A game like billiards played with a white cue ball and usually 15 numbered coloured balls, the aim being to shoot specified balls into specified pockets using the cue ball. Compare snooker.

verb

pooled, pooling
1. To put (money or other resources) into a common supply for general use.

Thesaurus: combine, merge, put together, amalgamate, chip in, contribute, share.

Etymology: 17c: from French poule, literally ‘a hen', but associated in English with pool¹ since the 18c.