poled

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of pole.

   The ferryman poled the flat barge through the tall reeds.

   She has poled the punt along this quiet canal many times.

   Note

   A regular -ed form, so one spelling serves both she poled and she has poled. Most of the verb's range is transitive. A punt is poled along, a crop is poled for support, molten glass is poled to stir it, and a ball struck very hard is poled. The support sense in the passive, a poled crop, sits close to the adjective for marked routes.

2. 2
   adjective

   Marked or laid out with poles set in the ground, as to indicate a boundary or course.

   Surveyors prefer a poled boundary when fog hides the usual landmarks.

   The poled lane guided the cattle safely toward the lower pasture.

   Note

   Its home is the walking route: a poled path or trail is one whose way is shown by a line of poles rather than by painted marks or cairns. The adjective does not compare. A route is poled or it is not, and nobody calls one trail more poled than another.

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