n.
Pronunciation: ' räd
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 \ -l ə s \ adjective
– rod · like \ - ˌ l ī k \ adjective