Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Pool for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Pool" — noun, pronounced /puːl/, with the stress on "pool".
Narrator: A pool is a small area of still water, or a shared supply of something that can be drawn on.
Narrator: In plain English, a pool is a little body of water, or a shared store of money or people.
Narrator: It comes from the Old English pol, meaning a small pond or puddle, of Germanic origin.
Narrator: "A swimming pool" describes a man-made basin of water used for swimming.
Narrator: It differs from a pond because a pool can be temporary or artificial, whereas a pond is a more natural, permanent body of water.
Narrator: "A pool of talent" is a figurative phrase for a supply of skilled people available to be chosen.
Narrator: Swimming, finance, recruitment, gaming and everyday speech all rely on the word pool.
Narrator: So remember: a pool is a small body of water or a shared supply, from the Old English for a puddle.
Speaker A: My boss mentioned a pool of candidates. Is that the same as a swimming pool?
Speaker B: Same word, different sense! POOL comes from the Old English pol, a small pond, and the shared-supply sense grew from people putting money into a common pot.
Speaker A: So a pool of water and a pool of money share a root?
Speaker B: Exactly — both are gathered supplies!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "The children splashed in the pool"; "we drew from a pool of volunteers"; "they played pool at the pub" — water, people, and a game.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Do not use pool for a large lake, because a pool is small; and the plural is pools, with no double o.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: "Pond" the natural cousin, "puddle" the tiny twin, "reservoir" the large alternative. The pool keeps its gathered, still-water charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "pool" in AI prompts — useful for recruitment tools and shared-resource schedulers.
Speaker A: So a prompt could describe a talent pool?
Speaker B: Right. For a recruitment app, you'd write:
Prompt: Describe how to build a pool of freelance designers from which a small agency can draw when projects arrive, naming three sourcing channels.
Speaker A: How about a car-share tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to explain a shared resource:
Prompt: Explain in three sentences how a car pool saves money and reduces emissions, with one example of a workplace scheme.
Speaker A: Could it help with a booking system?
Speaker B: Yes, you can guide users:
Prompt: Write a short guide for booking time in a shared swimming pool, covering peak hours, lane etiquette and cancellations.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a finance app, try this:
Prompt: Explain in two sentences how a prize pool is built and paid out in a friendly office sweepstake.
Pool — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary