pool1
n.
- a small area of still water, typically one formed naturally.
▸a deep place in a river.
▸a swimming pool.
- a small, shallow patch of liquid lying on a surface.
v.
- form a pool.
- (of blood) accumulate in parts of the venous system.
Etymology
OE pōl, of W. Gmc origin.
pool2
n.
- a shared supply of vehicles, people, or resources to be drawn on when needed.
▸a common fund into which all contributors pay and from which financial backing is provided.
▸the collective amount of players' stakes in gambling or sweepstakes.
▸
(the pools or football pools)
a form of gambling on the results of football matches, the winners receiving large sums accumulated from entry money.
- an arrangement between competing parties to fix prices and share business in order to eliminate competition.
- a group of contestants who compete against each other in a tournament for the right to advance to the next round.
- a game played on a billiard table using two sets of seven balls together with one black ball and a white cue ball.
v.
- put (money or other assets) into a common fund.
▸share for the benefit of all.
- Austral. informal implicate or inform on.
Etymology
C17: from Fr. poule in the sense ‘stake, kitty’, assoc. with pool1.