rod
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rod¹
- /ɹɒd/ Northern England, UK
- /ɹɔd/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ɾɔd/ Scotland, UK
- /ɾɒd/ UK, Wales
- /ɹɑd/ US
- /ɹɒd/ Canada
- /ɹɔd/ Australia
- /ɹɒd/ New Zealand
- [ɹɔ̟d] ~ [ɹɞ̠d] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɒd
Where it comes from
From Middle English rodde, from Old English *rodd or *rodde (attested in dative plural roddum (“rod, pole”)), of uncertain origin, but probably from Proto-Germanic *rudd- (“stick, club”), from Proto-Indo-European *rewdʰ- (“to clear land”). Compare Old Norse rudda (“club”). For the root, compare English rid. Presumably unrelated to Proto-Germanic *rōdō (“rod, pole”).
noun rods
- A straight, round stick, shaft, bar, cane, or staff. The circus strong man proved his strength by bending an iron rod, and then straightening it.
- A longitudinal pole used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent.
- A long slender usually tapering pole used for angling; fishing rod. When I hooked a snake and not a fish, I got so scared I dropped my rod in the water.
- A stick, pole, or bundle of switches or twigs (such as a birch), used for personal defense or to administer corporal punishment by whipping. So was I brought up: they tell mee, that in all my youth, I never felt rod [translating verges] but twice, and that very lightly.
- An implement resembling and/or supplanting a rod (particularly a cane) that is used for corporal punishment, and metonymically called the rod, regardless of its actual shape and composition. The judge imposed on the thief a sentence of fifteen strokes with the rod.
- A stick used to measure distance, by using its established length or task-specific temporary marks along its length, or by dint of specific graduated marks. I notched a rod and used it to measure the length of rope to cut.
- A unit of length equal to 1 pole, a perch, ¹⁄₄ chain, 5+¹⁄₂ yards, 16+¹⁄₂ feet, or exactly 5.0292 meters (these being all equivalent). ‘And this thicket, so full of a natural art, was in the immediate vicinity, within a few rods, of the dwelling of Madame Deluc, whose boys were in the habit of closely examining the shrubberies about them in search of the bark of the sassafras.’
- An implement held vertically and viewed through an optical surveying instrument such as a transit, used to measure distance in land surveying and construction layout; an engineer's rod, surveyor's rod, surveying rod, leveling rod, ranging rod. The modern (US) engineer's or surveyor's rod commonly is eight or ten feet long and often designed to extend higher. In former times a surveyor's rod often was a single wooden pole or composed of multiple sectioned and socketed pieces, and besides serving as a sighting target was used to measure distance on the ground horizontally, hence for convenience
- A unit of area equal to a square rod, 30+¹⁄₄ square yards or ¹⁄₁₆₀ acre. The house had a small yard of about six rods in size.
- A straight bar that unites moving parts of a machine, for holding parts together as a connecting rod or for transferring power as a driveshaft. The engine threw a rod, and then went to pieces before our eyes, springs and coils shooting in all directions.
- A rod cell: a rod-shaped cell in the eye that is sensitive to light. The rods are more sensitive than the cones, but do not discern color.
- Any of a number of long, slender microorganisms. He applied a gram positive stain, looking for rods indicative of Listeria.
- A stirring rod: a glass rod, typically about 6 inches to 1 foot long and ¹⁄₈ to ¹⁄₄ inch in diameter that can be used to stir liquids in flasks or beakers.
- A pistol; a gun. One of them strode to his side and ran experienced fingers through his clothes. "No rod," he reported, "where's the jewelry?"
- The penis. [I'm gonna][…]throw some vaseline right in the crack a your ass, then I'm gonna shove my rod in your open hole and try to pacify your ornery soul.
- A hot rod, an automobile or other passenger motor vehicle modified to run faster and often with exterior cosmetic alterations, especially one based originally on a pre-1940s model or (currently) denoting any older vehicle thus modified.
-
A rod-shaped object that appears in photographs or videos traveling at high speed, not seen by the person recording the event, often associated with extraterrestrial entities.
These cylindrical rods fly through the air at incredible speeds and can only be picked up by high-speed cameras.
Similar: skyfish
- A Cuisenaire rod.
- A coupling rod or connecting rod, which links the driving wheels of a steam locomotive, and some diesel shunters and early electric locomotives. In the early days troubles were experienced with oscillation from the rod drive and with the transformers, but were overcome later, and these machines performed useful service until superseded by more modern locomotives less costly in maintenance.
- A drain rod, being a set of segmented rods with interlocking connectors designed to remain attached even under rotation in use.
verb rods · rodding · rodded
- To reinforce concrete with metal rods.
- To furnish with rods, especially lightning rods.
- To penetrate sexually. On impulse he moved around to the opposite side of the couple, in the direction which Grace's broad buttocks were pointed, for a full view of the big boned woman's back side. Now Grace wouldn't mind one iota if he rodded her from the rear.
- To hot rod. There were three clear sets, more than what you might expect at Heartbreak Point, given all the juvies rodding in and out of there with their girlfriends.
Rod²
Where it comes from
Abbreviated form of Rodney and of Roderick, both with roots originating from Germanic *hrōþiz (“fame”).
proper noun
- A nickname for the male given names Rodney and Roderick. President Donald Trump on Monday pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was sent to prison on corruption charges surrounding his time in office.
Rod³
Where it comes from
Ultimately from Proto-Slavic *rȍdъ.
proper noun
- The god of the family, ancestors and fate in Slavic mythology.
ROD⁴
noun
- Abbreviation of run-out date (“date on which one completes one's national service”).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pole, gat, rod cell, perch, retinal rod, staff, truncheon, crutch, baton, shaft, wand, shank, peg, pin, axle, pad
Translations
Every language
noun stick or bundle used for punishment
| Español | vara |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 鞭 muchi |
| Português | vara, verga |
| Français | verges |
| Deutsch | Rute, Zuchtrute |
| Italiano | verga, bacchetta |
| Русский | прут prut, ро́зга rózga |
noun microbiology: rod shaped microorganism
| 日本語 | 杆菌 kankin, 桿菌 kankin |
|---|---|
| Português | bacilo |
| Deutsch | Stäbchenbakterien, Stäbchenbakterium, Stäbchenbakterie |
| Русский | па́лочка páločka |
noun straight round stick, shaft, or bar
| Español | barra, rodillo, vara, fierro, vírgula, verga |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 막대 makdae, 막대기 makdaegi |
| 日本語 | 棒 bō |
| 中文 | 棒 bàng, 棍子 gùnzi |
| हिन्दी | डंडा ḍaṇḍā, बल्ली ballī |
| Português | vara, bastão, haste |
| Français | tige |
| Deutsch | Stange, Stock, Stab, Latte |
| Italiano | palo, pertica, stecca, bastone |
| Ελληνικά | ραβδί ravdí |
| Română | vargă, nuia, vergea, băț |
| Русский | шта́нга štánga, па́лка pálka, сте́ржень stérženʹ, прут prut, брус brus |
| Tiếng Việt | que, cần, gậy |
| العربية | عَصًا ʕaṣan |
| עברית | מוֹט mot, מַקֵּל makél |
noun a longitudinal pole forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent.
| Deutsch | Stange, Stab, Zeltstab, Gestänge |
|---|
noun fishing rod or pole
| Español | caña |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 낚싯대 naksitdae |
| 日本語 | 竿 sao, 釣り竿 tsurizao |
| 中文 | 桿 /杆 gǎn, 竿 gān |
| Português | vara |
| Français | canne à pêche |
| Deutsch | Angel, Angelrute |
| Italiano | canna, canna da pesca |
| Ελληνικά | καλάμι kalámi |
| Română | undiță |
| Русский | у́дочка údočka, уди́лище udílišče |
| Tiếng Việt | cần, cần câu |
| עברית | חַכָּה khaká |
noun stick to measure length
| Deutsch | Zollstock, Metermaß, Meßstab, Messstab |
|---|---|
| Italiano | pertica |
| עברית | קְנֵה מִדָּה k'ne midá |
noun archaic: unit of area
| Français | verge |
|---|
noun connector, part of a machine
| 日本語 | 棒 bō |
|---|---|
| Português | barra |
| Deutsch | Bolzen, Achse, Welle, Ankerbolzen, Spindel, Träger |
| Italiano | barra, biella |
| Ελληνικά | ράβδος rávdos |
| Русский | шта́нга štánga, сте́ржень stérženʹ, шток štok |
noun part of the retina of the eye — see also rod cell
| Español | bastón |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 杆体 kantai, 桿体 kantai |
| Deutsch | Stäbchen |
| Italiano | bastoncello |
| Ελληνικά | ραβδίο ravdío |
| Русский | па́лочка páločka |
| עברית | קָנֶה kané, תא קנה ta-kané |
noun stirring rod
| Deutsch | Rührstab, Rührstäbchen |
|---|---|
| Italiano | bacchetta |
noun slang: penis
| Español | verga |
|---|---|
| Português | pica, benga, piça, rola, verga |
| Français | bite, paf, pine, queue, vit, zob |
| Deutsch | Penis, Pimmel |
| Italiano | verga |
name Slavic god
| Русский | Род |
|---|
Talk about this word "rod." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rod. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rod. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rod "rod." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rod.
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@misc{rod_2026,
title = {rod},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rod},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
