This is the 1029th most frequent Dutch word.
polen
"Polen" in Dutch means "Poles" (as in people from Poland) or "poles" (as in geographical or magnetic poles), depending on context.
Here, 'polen' refers to the geographical poles of the Earth, namely the North and South Poles.
De temperatuur verschilt sterk tussen de polen.
The temperature differs greatly between the poles.
In this sentence, 'polen' refers to the positive and negative electrical terminals or poles of a battery.
Hij heeft de polen van de batterij verwisseld.
He swapped the poles of the battery.
In this context, 'polen' refers to opposing ideals or factions, used metaphorically to denote strong oppositions.