Pronunciation: [pˈə͡ʊlə] (IPA) 
The word "polar" is spelled with the phonetic transcription /ˈpoʊlər/ (poh-lur). The first sound is a "p" consonant, followed by the long "o" vowel sound, which is represented by the letter "o". The letter "l" represents the "l" consonant phoneme, and the final sound is the "er" vowel sound, which is represented by the letters "a" and "r". This word is commonly used to describe something that is located at or near the North or South Pole.
Polar is an adjective that refers to having or relating to a pair of directly opposite or contrasting characteristics, conditions, or positions. It is commonly used to describe the extreme ends of a spectrum, or the opposite ends of a scale, continuum, or axis.
In the context of geography, the term polar pertains to the regions near or surrounding Earth's North and South Poles, known as the polar regions or polar zones. These areas have distinctive features, with long winters, extremely low temperatures, and abundant ice, such as polar ice caps. The polar climate is characterized by its frigid conditions, lack of sunlight during certain parts of the year, and the presence of polar night and polar day periods, when daylight lasts for several months or is absent for an equivalent period.
In physics, polar often signifies something related to polarity, which is the physical property of having positive and negative charges or poles. For instance, in electromagnetic fields, polar could refer to polarized light, where electric field vectors oscillate in a specific direction. In chemistry, polar molecules have an uneven distribution of charge due to the electronegativity difference between atoms, which leads to a dipole moment.
In a broader sense, the term polar can also be metaphorically applied to describe strong opposition, differences, or contrasting viewpoints. This usage can refer to political, social, or ideological positions that stand in stark opposition to each other, resulting in a polarized society or situation.
1. Relating to a pole. 2. Having poles, said of certain nerve cells having one or more processes.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Pert. to one of the poles of the earth; situated near one of the poles; proceeding from the regions around either pole.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "polar" is derived from the Latin term "polaris", meaning "of or relating to the pole". It originated from the Latin word "polus", which refers to the "end" or "extremity". The term was adopted into English in the early 17th century.
