Online Etymology Dictionary

Poll: fem. proper name, short for Polly. Noted from 1620s as a parrot's name.
pollack (n.): sea fish, c.1600, pollock, alteration of Scottish podlok, of unknown origin, perhaps from poll (n.) "head." Possibly the alteration is by influence of Pollack "Polish person."
pollard (n.): 1540s, "de-horned animal," from poll (v.2) + -ard. In reference to polled trees, from 1610s.
pollen (n.): 1760 as a botanical term for the fertilizing element of flowers (from Linnæus, 1751), earlier "fine flour" (1520s), from Latin pollen "mill dust; fine flour," related to polenta "peeled barley," and pulvis (genitive pulveris) "dust," from PIE root *pel- (1) "dust; flour" (cf. Greek poltos "pap, porridge," Sanskrit pálalam "ground seeds," Lithuanian pelenai, Old Church Slavonic popelu, Russian pépelŭ "ashes").
pollinate (v.): 1873, back formation from pollination, or else from pollin-, stem of Latin pollen (see pollen) + -ate (2). Related: Pollinated; pollinating.
pollination (n.): 1872, from older French pollination, noun of action formed 1812 from pollin-, stem of Latin pollen (see pollen). Replaced in Modern French by pollinisation .
polliwog (n.): "tadpole," mid-15c., polwygle, probably from pol "head" (see poll (n.)) + wiglen "to wiggle" (see wiggle (v.)). Modern spelling is 1830s, replacing earlier polwigge.
pollster (n.): 1939, from poll (n.) + -ster.
pollutant (n.): 1888, from pollute + -ant. Related: Pollutants.
pollute (v.): late 14c., "to defile," a back formation from pollution, or else from Latin pollutus, past participle of polluere "to defile, pollute, contaminate." Related: Polluted; polluting. Meaning "make physically foul" is from 1540s; specific sense "contaminate the environment" emerged from late 19c.
polluted (adj.): c.1400, "rendered impure or unclean," past participle adjective from pollute (v.). Meaning "drunk" is from 1912, American English slang; ecological sense is from 1888.
polluter (n.): 1540s, "one who renders unclean or impure," agent noun from pollute (v.). Ecological sense from 1958.
pollution (n.): mid-14c., "discharge of semen other than during sex," later, "desecration, defilement" (late 14c.), from Late Latin pollutionem (nominative pollutio) "defilement," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin polluere "to soil, defile, contaminate," from por- "before" + -luere "smear," from PIE root *leu- "dirt; make dirty" (cf. Latin lutum "mud, mire, clay," lues "filth;" Greek lyma "filth, dirt, disgrace," lymax "rubbish, refuse;" Old Irish loth "mud, dirt;" Lithuanian lutynas "pool, puddle"). Sense of "contamination of the environment" first recorded c.1860, but not common until c.1955.
Pollux: twin brother of Castor, name of the beta star of Gemini, 1520s, from Latin, from Greek Polydeukes, literally "very sweet," from polys "much" (see poly-) + deukes "sweet" (see glucose). The contraction of the name in Latin is perhaps via Etruscan [Klein].
Polly: fem. proper name, a rhyming collateral form of Molly, pet form of Mary.
Pollyanna (n.): "one who finds cause for gladness in the most difficult situations," 1921, a reference to Pollyanna Whittier, child heroine of U.S. novelist Eleanor Hodgman Porter's "Pollyanna" (1913) and "Pollyanna Grows Up" (1915), who was noted for keeping her chin up during disasters.
polo (n.): 1872, Anglo-Indian polo, from Balti (Tibetan language of the Indus valley) polo "ball," related to Tibetan pulu "ball." An ancient game in south Asia, first played in England at Aldershot, 1871. Water polo is from 1876 (in early versions players sometimes paddled about on barrels or in canoes). Polo shirt (1892) originally was a kind worn by polo players.
polonaise (n.): 1773, "woman's overdress" (from fancied resemblance to Polish costume); 1797, "stately dance," from French (danse) polonaise "a Polish (dance)," fem. of polonais (adj.) "Polish," from Pologne "Poland," from Medieval Latin Polonia "Poland" (see Poland). In the culinary sense, applied to dishes supposed to be cooked in Polish style, attested from 1889.
polonium (n.): radioactive element, 1898, discovered by Marie Curie (nee Skłodowska), 1867-1934, and her husband, and named for her native country, Poland (Modern Latin Polonia). With element-name ending -ium.
poltergeist (n.): 1838, from German Poltergeist, literally "noisy ghost," from poltern "make noise, rattle" (from PIE root *bhel- (4) "to sound, ring, roar;" cf. bellow, bell) + Geist "ghost" (see ghost). In the native idiom of Northern England, such phenomenon likely would be credited to a boggart.
poltroon (n.): "A coward; a nidgit; a scoundrel" [Johnson, who spells it poltron], 1520s, from Middle French poultron "rascal, coward" (16c., Modern French poltron), from Italian poltrone "lazy fellow, coward," apparently from *poltro "couch, bed" (cf. Milanese polter, Venetian poltrona "couch"), perhaps from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German polstar "pillow;" see bolster (n.)). Cf. also -oon.
poly-: word-forming element meaning "many, much, multi-, one or more," from Greek poly-, combining form of polys "much" (plural polloi); cognate with Latin plus, from PIE root *pele- (1) "to fill," with derivatives referring to multitudinousness or abundance (cf. Sanskrit purvi "much," prayah "mostly;" Avestan perena-, Old Persian paru "much;" Greek plethos "people, multitude, great number," polys "much, plenty," ploutos "wealth;" Lithuanian pilus "full, abundant;" Old Church Slavonic plunu; Gothic filu "much," Old Norse fjöl-, Old English fela, feola "much, many;" Old English folgian; Old Irish lan, Welsh llawn "full;" Old Irish il, Welsh elu "much"); probably related to root *pele- (2) "to spread."

Properly used in compounds only with words of Greek origin. In chemical names, usually indicating a compound with a large number of atoms or molecules of the same kind (cf. polymer).
polyamorous (adj.): by 1972, from poly- + amorous. Related: Polyamory.
polyandria (n.): 1751 in botany; 1809 of human relationships, from poly- "many" andr-, stem of aner "man, husband" (see anthropo-) + -ia "condition of." Late Greek polyandria meant "populousness."
polyandrous (adj.): 1764, in botany, "having numerous stamens," from poly- + stem of aner "man, husband" (see anthropo-). From 1854 of humans, "having more than one husband." Greek polyandros meant "numerous" (of persons), "populous" (of places); polyanor meant "of many husbands."
polyandry (n.): 1767, nativized form of polyandria. Related: Polyandrist.
polycentric (adj.): 1826, from poly- + centric.
polychrome (adj.): "having many colors," 1816, from French polychrome, from Latinized form of Greek polykhromos "many-colored" (see poly- + chrome). As a noun from 1800. Related: Polychromic; polychromatic; polychromate.
polyclinic (n.): "place for treatment of various diseases," 1890, from poly- "many" + clinic.
polydactyl (n.): 1894, from French polydactyle (adj.) "having more fingers and toes than is usual," from Greek polydaktylos; see poly- + dactyl. As an adjective from 1874. Related: Polydactyly; polydactylism (1868).
polydipsia (n.): "excessive thirst," 1650s, from Greek polydipsios "very thirsty," from poly- (see poly-) + dipsa "thirst" + -ia "condition of."
Polydorus: Priam's youngest son (Homer), from Latin Polydorus, from Greek Polydoros "one who has received many gifts," noun use of adjective meaning "richly endowed," from polys "much, many" (see poly-) + doron "gift" (see date (n.1)).
polyester (n.): 1929, formed from polymer + ester. Polyester fiber was discovered 1941.
polyethylene (n.): polymer of ethylene, 1862, from French polyéthylène; see poly- + ethylene. Related: Polyethylenic (1860).
polygamous (adj.): 1610s, from polygamy + -ous, or else from Late Greek polygamos "often married." Related: Polygamously.
polygamy (n.): 1590s, from Late Latin polygamia, from Late Greek polygamia "polygamy," from polygamos "often married," from polys "many" + gamos "marriage" (see gamete). Not etymologically restricted to marriage of one man and multiple women (technically polygyny), but often used as if it were. Related: Polygamist.
polygenesis (n.): "plurality of origins," 1858, from poly- + genesis. Related: Polygenetic (1851).
polygenic (adj.): 1823, from poly- + -genic. Used in chemistry from 1873 for "forming two or more compounds" (with hydrogen or another univalent element). Related: Polygenetic.
polygenous (adj.): "composed of many kinds," 1797; see poly- + genus.
polyglot (adj.): 1650s, from Greek polyglottos "speaking many languages," literally "many-tongued," from polys "many" (see poly-) + glotta, Attic variant of glossa "language," literally "tongue" (see gloss (n.2)). As a noun from 1640s.
polygon (n.): 1570s, from Latin polygonum, from Greek polygonon, noun use of neuter of adjective polygonos "many-angled," from polys "many" (see poly-) + -gonos "angled," from gonia "angle" (see knee (n.)). Related: Polygonal.
polygraph (n.): 1794, "mechanical device for making multiple copies of something written or drawn," from Greek polygraphos "writing much," from polys "much" (see poly-) + graphos "writing," from graphein "to write" (see -graphy).

Meaning "instrument for recording several pulsations of the body at the same time" is 1871; first used as a lie detector 1921. Related: Polygraphy (1590s); polygraphic (1771).
polygyny (n.): 1780, "condition of having many wives," from poly- "many" (see poly-) + Greek gyne "woman, wife" (see queen). Related: Polygynous.
polyhedral (adj.): 1741, from polyhedron + -al (1).
polyhedron (n.): 1560s, from Latinized form of Greek polyedron, neuter of adjective polyedros "having many bases or sides," from polys "many" (see poly-) + hedra "seat, base, chair, face of a geometric solid," from PIE root *sed- "to sit" (see sedentary).
polyhistor (n.): "very learned person," 1580s, from Greek polyhistor "very learned," from poly "much, many" (see poly-) + histor "knowing, learned" (see history).
polymath (n.): 1620s, from Greek polymathes "having learned much, knowing much," from polys "much" (see poly-) + root of manthanein "to learn" (see mathematic).
polymer (n.): a substance built from a large number of simple molecules of the same kind, 1855, probably from German Polymere (Berzelius, 1830), from Greek polymeres "having many parts," from polys "many" (see poly-) + meros "part" (see merit (n.)).
polymerase (n.): 1866, coined by Berzelius (1830) from Greek polymeres "having many parts" (see polymer).
polymeric (adj.): 1829, from polymer + -ic.