Main Entry:
rod
Pronunciation: \ˈräd\
Function:
noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English
rodd; akin to Old Norse
rudda club
Date: before 12th century
1 a (1) : a straight slender stick growing on or cut from a tree or bush
(2) : osier (3) : a stick or bundle of twigs used to punish;
also : punishment (4) : a shepherd's cudgel
(5) : a pole with a line and usually a reel attached for fishing
b (1) : a slender bar (as of wood or metal)
(2) : a bar or staff for measuring
(3) : scepter;
also : a wand or staff carried as a badge of office (as of marshal)
2 a : a unit of length — see
weight table b : a square rod
3 : any of the long rod-shaped photosensitive receptors in the retina responsive to faint light — compare
cone 3a
4 : a rod-shaped bacterium
5 slang : handgun