I. ˈpäd noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. : a bit socket in a brace
2. : a straight groove or channel in the barrel of a pod auger or similar tool
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably alteration (influenced by the p of pea, with which it is often associated) of cod (I)
1. : a dry dehiscent seed vessel or fruit that is either monocarpellary (as a legume, silique, or follicle) or composed of two or more carpels (as a capsule) ; specifically : legume
2.
a. : bag , pouch , sac ; especially : a musk bag
b. : a protective envelope (as a cocoon)
c. : a grasshopper egg case
3. : a number of animals (as seals or whales) closely clustered together : school
we lowered for a pod of four or five whales — Herman Melville
4. : potbelly 1a
5.
a. : a roughly cylindrical ore body dwindling at each end like a cigar
b. : a similarly shaped mineral aggregate in schist or gneiss
6. : a streamlined often detachable compartment slung under the wings or fuselage of an aircraft and used as a container (as for a jet engine, cargo, or weapons)
jet pod
rocket pod
fuel pod
III. verb
( podded ; podded ; podding ; pods )
intransitive verb
1. : to assemble in pods
2. : to produce pods
rows of podding peas on hazel sticks — H.E.Bates
transitive verb
: to drive (seals) into pods
IV. noun
: a detachable compartment (as for personnel, a power unit, or an instrument) on a spacecraft