ranging pole
- noun
- UK
- The survey team placed a ranging pole at each end of the field to mark the boundary.
Examples
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Using a ranging pole, the engineer aligned the instrument with the correct position.
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Red and white bands on the ranging pole made it easy to spot from a distance.
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The surveyor used a ranging pole to mark the boundary.
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Can you hand me the ranging pole?
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The survey team placed a ranging pole at each end of the field to mark the boundary.
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Red and white bands on the ranging pole made it easy to spot from a distance.
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Using a ranging pole, the engineer aligned the instrument with the correct position.
Synonyms
1
3.4
A long rod with marks at regular spaces to show how long something is
A long straight rod with red and white bands that people who measure land use to line up points
A straight rod with red and white bands used by surveyors
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'range' and 'pole' can infer that this is a pole related to 'ranging' (i.e., measuring or marking distances), so the basic idea of a pole used for surveying is compositional. However, the precise specialised function and form (a long rod with alternating bands used for sighting) are domain-specific and not fully predictable from the constituents alone, making it only partially transparent.
Etymology
The noun ranging pole is a long, straight pole with red and white bands used by people who measure land. Imagine a tall striped pole in a field that you can see from far away; surveyors use it to line up their tools and mark exact points, so the name comes from ranging, meaning 'lining up', and explains its use in aiming and measuring positions.