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

— rod·less \-ləs\ adjective

— rod·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective