Why do we vote at a polling place? Pol in Middle English simply meant head, and polls are the place where heads are counted. The Middle English word for head also gives us get polliwog, a young frog with a wiggly head, and tadpole, those toads and other little amphibians that for a while look like they’re all head. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Where Does Voting “Poll” Come From?”
Frida Lockhart from Dallas wants to know, why do we say we’re headed to the poles?
What is poles all about?
P-O-L-L-S.
And it’s a great story.
P-O-L in Middle English meant head.
And so a pole is essentially a head count.
And the poles are the places where the heads are counted.
And the cool thing about this is that the Middle English word pole, meaning head, is also in a couple of other familiar words.
Poliwog, which is a wiggling head, literally.
The wog is from an old word that means wiggle.
So, you know, a poliwog being a really, really young frog that doesn’t have the legs yet is a little wiggle head.
And it’s also in the word tadpole, a little toad that’s a head.
Oh, very nice.
So it’s all related to the poles and going to the poles.
Very good.
