POLAR

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does polar mean? 

• POLAR (adjective)
  The adjective POLAR has 6 senses:

1. having a pair of equal and opposite charges

2. characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed

3. located at or near or coming from the earth's poles

4. of or existing at or near a geographical pole or within the Arctic or Antarctic Circles

5. extremely cold

6. being of crucial importance

  Familiarity information: POLAR used as an adjective is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POLAR (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Having a pair of equal and opposite charges

Similar:

charged (of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge)

Derivation:

polarity (having an indicated pole (as the distinction between positive and negative electric charges))

pole (a contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed

Synonyms:

diametric; diametrical; opposite; polar

Context example:

extreme and indefensible polar positions

Similar:

different (unlike in nature or quality or form or degree)

Derivation:

polarity (a relation between two opposite attributes or tendencies)

pole (one of two divergent or mutually exclusive opinions)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Located at or near or coming from the earth's poles

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

Antarctica is the only polar continent

Pertainym:

pole (one of two antipodal points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the Earth's surface)

Derivation:

pole (one of two antipodal points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the Earth's surface)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Of or existing at or near a geographical pole or within the Arctic or Antarctic Circles

Context example:

polar regions

Similar:

circumpolar (located or found throughout a polar region)

Arctic; north-polar (of or relating to the Arctic)

Antarctic; south-polar (at or near the south pole)

Antonym:

equatorial (of or existing at or near the geographic equator)

Derivation:

pole (one of two antipodal points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the Earth's surface)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Extremely cold

Synonyms:

arctic; frigid; gelid; glacial; icy; polar

Context example:

polar weather

Similar:

cold (having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Being of crucial importance

Synonyms:

pivotal; polar

Context example:

a polar principal

Similar:

crucial; important (of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis)

 Context examples 

The non-polar tails serve as a template for nanoparticle synthesis.

(Micellar Template-Mediated Nanoparticle Synthesis, NCI Thesaurus)

An arotinoic acid derivative with a morpholine structure in the polar end group with differentiation inducing and antineoplastic activity.

(Mofarotene, NCI Thesaurus)

This leads to the introduction of a polar functional group to the compound, enhances their water solubility and renal excretion.

(Phase I Enzymes Inhibitor, NCI Thesaurus)

This species is motile by polar or bi-polar tufts of flagella, does not hydrolyze esculin, indole negative and oxidase and catalase positive.

(Delftia acidovorans, NCI Thesaurus)

Colestolone is also metabolized by cells into polar sterols, which are known to inhibit HMGCR enzymatic activity.

(Colestolone, NCI Thesaurus)

This species is motile using a singular polar flagellum, oxidase and catalase positive, indole negative, does not reduce nitrates and does not hydrolyze esculin.

(Brevundimonas diminuta, NCI Thesaurus)

The wintry effects have led to a temperature drop of 72 degrees Farenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in the southern polar stratosphere over the last four years.

(Cassini Sees Dramatic Seasonal Changes on Titan, NASA)

In the darkest and coldest parts of its polar regions, a team of scientists has directly observed definitive evidence of water ice on the Moon's surface.

(Ice Confirmed at the Moon's Poles, NASA)

Phosphatidic acids thus have a polar head and apolar tails, and occur in cell membranes throughout nature.

(Phosphatidic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)

This species is motile by single polar flagellum, reduces sulfate and is catalase positive.

(Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, NCI Thesaurus)