1
: a cross or crucifix symbolizing the cross on which Jesus Christ died
specifically
: a large crucifix on a beam or screen at the entrance to the chancel of a church
2
a
: any of various units of land area
especially
: a British unit equal to ¹/₄ acre
b
: any of various units of length
especially
: a British unit equal to seven or eight yards or sometimes a rod
Examples of rood in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to identifying the two sets of remains, researchers have found more than 1,000 fragments of the cathedral’s rood screen, an architectural element that separated the choir from the nave.
—
Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2024
Their blocky shield motifs reference the Moorish wall carvings at the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, Spain, and geometric forms are a nod to patterns found in the 15th-century rood screens at St. Enodoc, a chapel that was famously buried beneath Cornwall’s sand dunes for more than 300 years.
—Aimee Farrell Emli Bendixen, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023
Laypeople were separated from services by a large rood screen and would not have understood what was being said.
—Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2023
In Eastern Orthodox liturgies, the Eucharist is brought out from behind the rood screens.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 30 Mar. 2020
Beyond the house, the road meandered upward past more villas, then dustily through a cluster of old cottages around the medieval parish church, which had a distinguished rood screen.
—Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2019
The rood screen, studded with sculptures, was pulled down.
—National Geographic, 15 Apr. 2019
The flowers fill the front of the church and attach to the rood screen, a traditional decorative screen that separates the parishioners from the clergy.
—Danika Worthington, The Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2017
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Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2024
Their blocky shield motifs reference the Moorish wall carvings at the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, Spain, and geometric forms are a nod to patterns found in the 15th-century rood screens at St. Enodoc, a chapel that was famously buried beneath Cornwall’s sand dunes for more than 300 years.
—Aimee Farrell Emli Bendixen, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023
Laypeople were separated from services by a large rood screen and would not have understood what was being said.
—Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2023
In Eastern Orthodox liturgies, the Eucharist is brought out from behind the rood screens.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 30 Mar. 2020
Beyond the house, the road meandered upward past more villas, then dustily through a cluster of old cottages around the medieval parish church, which had a distinguished rood screen.
—Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2019
The rood screen, studded with sculptures, was pulled down.
—National Geographic, 15 Apr. 2019
The flowers fill the front of the church and attach to the rood screen, a traditional decorative screen that separates the parishioners from the clergy.
—Danika Worthington, The Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Rood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rood. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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