The Collaborative International Dictionary
Polar \Po"lar\, a. [Cf. F. polaire. See Pole of the earth.]
Of or pertaining to one of the poles of the earth, or of a sphere; situated near, or proceeding from, one of the poles; as, polar regions; polar seas; polar winds.
Of or pertaining to the magnetic pole, or to the point to which the magnetic needle is directed.
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(Geom.) Pertaining to, reckoned from, or having a common radiating point; as, polar co["o]rdinates.
Polar axis, that axis of an astronomical instrument, as an equatorial, which is parallel to the earths axis.
Polar bear (Zo["o]l.), a large bear ( Ursus maritimus syn. Thalarctos maritimus) inhabiting the arctic regions. It sometimes measures nearly nine feet in length and weighs 1,600 pounds. It is partially amphibious, very powerful, and the most carnivorous of all the bears. The fur is white, tinged with yellow. Called also White bear. See Bear.
Polar body, Polar cell, or Polar globule (Biol.), a minute cell which separates by karyokinesis from the ovum during its maturation. In the maturation of ordinary ova two polar bodies are formed, but in parthogenetic ova only one. The first polar body formed is usually larger than the second one, and often divides into two after its separation from the ovum. Each of the polar bodies removes maternal chromatin from the ovum to make room for the chromatin of the fertilizing spermatozo["o]n; but their functions are not fully understood.
Polar circles (Astron. & Geog.), two circles, each at a distance from a pole of the earth equal to the obliquity of the ecliptic, or about 23[deg] 28', the northern called the arctic circle, and the southern the antarctic circle.
Polar clock, a tube, containing a polarizing apparatus, turning on an axis parallel to that of the earth, and indicating the hour of the day on an hour circle, by being turned toward the plane of maximum polarization of the light of the sky, which is always 90[deg] from the sun.
Polar co["o]rdinates. See under 3d Co["o]rdinate.
Polar dial, a dial whose plane is parallel to a great circle passing through the poles of the earth.
--Math. Dict.Polar distance, the angular distance of any point on a sphere from one of its poles, particularly of a heavenly body from the north pole of the heavens.
Polar equation of a line or Polar equation of a surface, an equation which expresses the relation between the polar co["o]rdinates of every point of the line or surface.
Polar forces (Physics), forces that are developed and act in pairs, with opposite tendencies or properties in the two elements, as magnetism, electricity, etc.
Polar hare (Zo["o]l.), a large hare of Arctic America ( Lepus arcticus), which turns pure white in winter. It is probably a variety of the common European hare ( Lepus timidus).
Polar lights, the aurora borealis or australis.
Polar opposition, or Polaric opposition or Polar contrast or Polaric contrast (Logic), an opposition or contrast made by the existence of two opposite conceptions which are the extremes in a species, as white and black in colors; hence, as great an opposition or contrast as possible.
Polar projection. See under Projection.
Polar spherical triangle (Spherics), a spherical triangle whose three angular points are poles of the sides of a given triangle. See 4th Pole, 2.
Polar whale (Zo["o]l.), the right whale, or bowhead. See Whale.
Wiktionary
n. (context biology English) One of the small cells that are by-products of the meiosis that forms an egg.
WordNet
n. a small cell containing little cytoplasm that is produced along with the oocyte and later discarded
Wikipedia
A polar body is a small haploid cell that is formed concomitantly as an egg cell during oogenesis, but which generally does not have the ability to be fertilized. When certain diploid cells in animals undergo cytokinesis after meiosis to produce egg cells, they sometimes divide unevenly. Most of the cytoplasm is segregated into one daughter cell, which becomes the egg or ovum, while the smaller polar bodies only get a small amount of cytoplasm. They frequently die ( apoptose) and disappear, but in some cases they remain and can be important in the life cycle of the organism.
Usage examples of "polar body".
The original polar body divides again, producing two more polar bodies of complementary pattern.
The polar body is a pseudo egg, containing a chromosome pattern complementary to that of the true gamete, but it is sterile.
The ovum divides again, throwing off another polar body which has the same pattern as the ovum.
When the cell doubles, at the polar body stage, the virus doesn’.
When the cell doubles, at the polar body stage, the virus doesn't double, and it has a fifty-fifty chance of staying with the oocyte or being discarded with the polar body.