What is "to poll a jury"

Poll \Poll\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polled; p. pr. & vb. n. Polling.]

1. To remove the poll or head of; hence, to remove the top or end of; to clip; to lop; to shear; as, to poll the head; to poll a tree.

   When he [Absalom] pollled his head.
   --2 Sam. xiv. 26.

   His death did so grieve them that they polled themselves; they clipped off their horse and mule's hairs.
   --Sir T. North.

2. To cut off; to remove by clipping, shearing, etc.; to mow or crop; -- sometimes with off; as, to poll the hair; to poll wool; to poll grass.

   Who, as he polled off his dart's head, so sure he had decreed That all the counsels of their war he would poll off like it.
   --Chapman.

3. To extort from; to plunder; to strip. [Obs.]

   Which polls and pills the poor in piteous wise.
   --Spenser.

4. To impose a tax upon. [Obs.]

5. To pay as one's personal tax.

   The man that polled but twelve pence for his head.
   --Dryden.

6. To enter, as polls or persons, in a list or register; to enroll, esp. for purposes of taxation; to enumerate one by one.

   Polling the reformed churches whether they equalize in number those of his three kingdoms.
   --Milton.

7. To register or deposit, as a vote; to elicit or call forth, as votes or voters; as, he polled a hundred votes more than his opponent.

   And poll for points of faith his trusty vote.
   --Tickell.

8. (Law) To cut or shave smooth or even; to cut in a straight line without indentation; as, a polled deed. See Dee? poll.
   --Burrill.

   To poll a jury, to call upon each member of the jury to answer individually as to his concurrence in a verdict which has been rendered.