po

Everyday

1. (UK, old-fashioned, informal) A po is a chamber pot: a bowl kept under the bed to wee in at night in the days before indoor toilets. tree →
2. (abbreviation) PO stands for Post Office, as in «PO Box», a box at the post office where letters can be collected; also «purchase order» in business and «petty officer» in the navy. tree →
3. (a name) The Po is the longest river in Italy. tree →
4. (Mandarin, pinyin) «pó» means grandmother on the mother's side in «pópo» (Cantonese and Mandarin speakers also say this), and «pō» means slope; it sounds like «paw». tree →
5. (a name) Po is a character's name, like the red Teletubby and the panda in «Kung Fu Panda». tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons about Victorian and Tudor homes, people used a po or chamber pot at night and emptied it in the morning. In everyday life a PO Box is an address for letters. In geography, the River Po flows across northern Italy to the Adriatic Sea. In stories and cartoons, Po is a name. Phrases: PO Box, chamber pot, the River Po, po-faced (UK: serious and disapproving).

Examples

• In Victorian times, people kept a po under the bed. tree →
• Send your entry to PO Box 25. tree →
• The River Po flows across northern Italy. tree →
• Po is the panda in «Kung Fu Panda». tree →
• Po was the smallest Teletubby. tree →
• (UK, informal) The teacher looked po-faced when we laughed in assembly. tree →
• The chamber pot was also called a po. tree →
• The farmland around the Po is very flat and rich. tree →

Note

As «chamber pot», «po» is old and slightly funny; plural «pos». As an abbreviation it is in capitals: PO, P.O. «Po-faced» (UK, informal) means looking very serious and not amused. In pinyin, tones change the meaning; «po» alone is not English. Context tells you which meaning is meant.