a stick, wand, staff, or the like, of wood, metal, or other material.
a straight, slender shoot or stem of any woody plant, whether still growing or cut from the plant.
fishing rod.
(in plastering or mortaring) a straightedge moved along screeds to even the plaster between them.
a stick used for measuring.
Archaic. a unit of linear measure, 5.5 yards or 16.5 feet (5.029 meters); linear perch or pole.
Archaic. a unit of square measure, 30.25 square yards (25.29 sq. m); square perch or pole.
a stick, or a bundle of sticks or switches bound together, used as an instrument of punishment.
punishment or discipline: Not one to spare the rod, I sent him to bed without dinner.
a wand, staff, or scepter carried as a symbol of office, authority, power, etc.
authority, sway, or rule, especially when tyrannical.
lightning rod.
a slender bar or tube for draping towels over, suspending a shower curtain, etc.
Bible. a branch of a family; tribe.
a pattern, drawn on wood in full size, of one section of a piece of furniture.
Slang.
a pistol or revolver.
Vulgar.the penis.
Anatomy. one of the rodlike cells in the retina of the eye, sensitive to low intensities of light.Compare cone (def. 5).
Bacteriology. a rod-shaped microorganism.
Also called leveling rod, stadia rod.Surveying. a light pole, conspicuously marked with graduations, held upright and read through a surveying instrument in leveling or stadia surveying.
Metallurgy. round metal stock for drawing and cutting into slender bars.
verb (used with object),rod·ded,rod·ding.
to furnish or equip with a rod or rods, especially lightning rods.
to even (plaster or mortar) with a rod.
Metallurgy. to reinforce (the core of a mold) with metal rods.
Origin of rod
before 1150; Middle English rodd,late Old English; akin to Old Norse rudda club
OTHER WORDS FROM rod
rodless,adjectiverodlike,adjective
Words nearby rod
Rocky Mountain spotted fever vaccine, Rocky Mountain States, Rocky Mountain whitefish, Rocky River, rococo, rod, rod bolt, rod cell, Rodchenko, rodded, Roddick
Adjust the resistance of these ankle weights by adding or removing the iron rods, which total between three to five pounds.
The best ankle weights for a sculpted lower body|PopSci Commerce Team|September 1, 2020|Popular Science
One of the darkest incidents of last year’s protests took place on July 21, when dozens of thugs armed with sticks and metal rods launched an indiscriminate attack on civilians at the suburban subway station of Yuen Long.
Hong Kong police are rewriting the history of an infamous thug attack on civilians|Mary Hui|August 27, 2020|Quartz
Since then, Shapery has cited his partnership with Doug Manchester, a political lightning rod and donor to the mayor, as a major obstacle.
The Deal Before the 101 Ash St. Debacle Helps Explain How We Got Here|Lisa Halverstadt and Jesse Marx|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
They are so sensitive that a rod cell can detect a single photon of light — the smallest possible particle.
Explainer: How our eyes make sense of light|Tina Hesman Saey|July 16, 2020|Science News For Students
The retina’s rod cells aren’t part of the cone coloring system.
Explainer: How our eyes make sense of light|Tina Hesman Saey|July 16, 2020|Science News For Students
So I asked the driver to honk the horn, which he does, and Rod looks over.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And of course, Rod, being Rod, goes for it a hundred percent; his mouth drops open and he says, ‘What?’
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Rod Stewart and Diane Sawyer This is just highly entertaining.
The Most WTF Covers of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ Everyone’s Favorite Date-Rape Holiday Classic|Kevin Fallon|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Creator Rod Serling was compelled by the need “not to just entertain but to enlighten.”
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’|Rich Goldstein|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rod Blagojevich auctioning off the seat to the highest bidder.
Even Hawaii Hates Obama Now|David Freedlander|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Gid, whatever his other shortcomings might have been, was a good blacksmith, and the rod was well repaired.
The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship|Margaret Burnham
For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
The Bible for Young People|Anonymous
This crisis came sooner, perhaps, than either Bert or Rod anticipated.
Bert Lloyd's Boyhood|J. McDonald Oxley
There was one venerable sergeant who made a rod less than a yard long.
Last Words|Stephen Crane
A lady of rank and merit, who was with us, took the rod after me; she felt it begin to move, and was internally agitated.
Curious Myths of the Middle Ages|Sabine Baring-Gould
British Dictionary definitions for rod
rod
/ (rɒd) /
noun
a slim cylinder of metal, wood, etc; stick or shaft
a switch or bundle of switches used to administer corporal punishment
any of various staffs of insignia or office
power, esp of a tyrannical kinda dictator's iron rod
a straight slender shoot, stem, or cane of a woody plant
See fishing rod
Also called: pole, perch
a unit of length equal to 5 1/2 yards
a unit of square measure equal to 30 1/4 square yards
a straight narrow board marked with the dimensions of a piece of joinery, as the spacing of steps on a staircase
a metal shaft that transmits power in axial reciprocating motionpiston rod, con(necting) rod Compare shaft (def. 5)
surveying another name (esp US) for staff 1 (def. 8)
Also called: retinal rodany of the elongated cylindrical cells in the retina of the eye, containing the visual purple (rhodopsin), which are sensitive to dim light but not to colourCompare cone (def. 5)
any rod-shaped bacterium
a slang word for penis
US slang name for pistol (def. 1)
short for hot rod
Derived forms of rod
rodlike, adjective
Word Origin for rod
Old English rodd; related to Old Norse rudda club, Norwegian rudda, rydda twig
One of the rod-shaped cells in the retina of the eye of many vertebrate animals. Rods are more sensitive to light than cones and are responsible for the ability to see in dim light. However, rods are insensitive to red wavelengths of light and do not contribute greatly to the perception of color. Compare cone.