# rod

Pronunciation: say "ROD" US /ɹɑd/, UK /ɹɒd/

## Noun

1. A thin, straight bar of wood, metal, or other hard material, such as a stick, shaft, or pole in a frame.
   - Simple: A long, thin, straight bar of wood, metal, or another hard material.
   - _He bent the steel rod into a smooth curve with his bare hands._
   - _She hung the new curtains from a brass rod above the kitchen window._
2. A long, slender, usually tapering pole used for angling.
   - Simple: A long, thin pole used to catch fish.
   - _She reeled in slowly, her rod bending as the trout fought on the line._
   - _Fly anglers favor lighter rods for a more delicate presentation._
3. A bar connecting moving parts of a machine or engine, such as a piston and crankshaft or a locomotive's driving wheels.
   - Simple: A metal bar that joins moving parts in an engine or machine.
   - _Each piston connects to the crankshaft through a sturdy steel rod._
   - _On the old sewing machine, a thin rod carries power from the treadle to the wheel._
4. An older automobile, often based on a pre-1940s model, modified to run faster and frequently restyled on the outside. *(slang)*
   - Simple: An old car that has been rebuilt to go much faster, often with a new look.
   - _Every weekend the old rod rumbled to life for a drive along the coast._
   - _Collectors pay high prices for well-built rods from the 1950s._
5. A stick or bundle of twigs used to beat someone as punishment; also punishment of this kind.
   - Simple: A stick used to hit someone as a punishment, or this kind of punishment.
   - _Many schools once treated the rod as the proper answer to disobedience._
   - _She finally put aside the rod and chose to reason with the child instead._
6. A slender, cylinder-shaped cell in the eye that is sensitive to light.
   - Simple: A tiny cell in the eye, shaped like a thin stick, that senses light.
   - _In near darkness, the eye relies almost entirely on its rods._
   - _A single rod can respond to a very small amount of light._
7. Any of various long, slender microorganisms, such as rod-shaped bacteria.
   - Simple: A very small, long, thin living thing, such as certain bacteria.
   - _The lab technician identified several rods among the stained cells._
   - _A single rod can multiply into millions within a matter of hours._
8. A vulgar slang term for the penis. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A rude slang word for the penis.
   - _The locker-room banter was full of boasts about whose rod was bigger._
   - _He grabbed his rod and made a vulgar gesture at the jeering crowd._
9. A stick or pole used to measure distance, especially a graduated pole read through a surveying instrument.
   - Simple: A stick or pole with marks, used to measure distances, especially in land surveying.
   - _Her partner held the rod upright while the surveyor sighted through the level._
   - _He notched the rod at every foot so he could gauge depth at a glance._
11. One of a set of poles with interlocking connectors, joined end to end and pushed into a blocked drain to clear it, made to stay joined when twisted; also, the joined set.
   - Simple: One of several poles that join end to end and are pushed into a drain to clear it.
   - _He screwed on a second rod and twisted the whole length to break up the clog._
   - _The plumber screwed another rod onto the end and pushed it farther down the drain until the blockage gave way._
14. A pistol or handgun. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A slang word for a handgun or pistol.
   - _The detective spotted the glint of a rod beneath the suspect's jacket._
   - _Two of the gangsters were carrying rods that night._

## Verb

10. To modify a car for greater speed and power, or to drive a souped-up car fast. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To make a car much faster and more powerful, or to drive it fast for fun.
15. To fit a building or structure with rods, such as lightning rods or steel rods set in concrete.
   - Simple: To put rods into or onto a structure, such as lightning rods or metal rods in concrete.
16. Vulgar slang meaning to penetrate someone sexually. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Vulgar slang for having penetrative sex with someone.

## Noun

12. An old unit of length equal to 16½ feet, 5½ yards, a quarter of a chain, or exactly 5.0292 meters, also called a pole or perch. *(dated)*
   - Simple: An old measure of length equal to 16½ feet, or 5½ yards.
13. An old unit of area equal to one square rod: 30¼ square yards, or 1/160 of an acre. *(dated)*
   - Simple: An old measure of land area equal to 30¼ square yards.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A colored stick of fixed length, part of a graded set used to teach arithmetic and number relationships through hands-on play.
- (noun) A long, thin streak in a photograph or video, not seen at the time of recording, usually a fast-moving insect blurred by the camera but claimed by some to be alien or paranormal.

## Origin

Old English *rodd or *rodde (a rod or pole) became Middle English rodde. Its origin is uncertain, but it probably goes back to Proto-Germanic *rudd- ("stick, club") and Proto-Indo-European *rewdʰ- ("to clear land"). English rid is related, and Old Norse rudda ("club") is worth comparing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rod (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).