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North Pole

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North Pole

–noun
1. Geography. the end of the earth's axis of rotation, marking the northernmost point on the earth.
2. Astronomy. the point at which the extended axis of the earth cuts the northern half of the celestial sphere, about 1° from the North Star; the north celestial pole.
3. (lowercase) the pole of a magnet that seeks the earth's north magnetic pole.
4. (lowercase) See under magnetic pole (def. 1).

Origin:
1350–1400; ME

magnetic pole

–noun
1. the region of a magnet toward which the lines of magnetic induction converge (south pole) or from which the lines of induction diverge (north pole).
2. either of the two points on the earth's surface where the dipping needle of a compass stands vertical, one in the arctic, the other in the antarctic. See maps under North Pole, South Pole.

Origin:
1695–1705
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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North Pole  


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n.  
    1. The northern end of the earth's axis of rotation, a point in the Arctic Ocean.

    2. The celestial zenith of this terrestrial point.

    3. north pole The northern end of the axis of rotation of a planet or other celestial body.

  1. north pole The north-seeking magnetic pole of a straight magnet.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

North Pole

The northern end, or pole, of the Earth's axis. (See Arctic and Arctic Ocean.)


magnetic pole

The spot on the Earth toward which a compass needle will point.

Note: The north magnetic pole is not located exactly at the geographic North Pole. Therefore, depending on where a compass is, its needle may not point exactly north.
Note: The variation between magnetic north and “true” north is usually shown on navigation maps as the “angle of declination.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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