I. ˈräd noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English rodd; akin to Old Norse rudda club and perhaps to Old High German riutan to clear land — more at rid
1.
a.
(1) : a straight slender stick growing upon or cut from a tree or bush : shoot , wand
(2) : osier
(3) : walking stick
(4) : a stick or bundle of twigs used for punishing
he who spares the rod hates his son — Prov 13:24 (Revised Standard Version)
(5) : a short club or stick with a bulging end used by shepherds as a cudgel to protect their flocks from wolves
(6) obsolete : a stick or switch used while riding
(7) : fishing pole
(8) : a bar or staff for measuring
(9) : a narrow board, lath, batten, or strip usually cut to a fixed length and marked with feet and inches or usually the heights and other dimensions of work to be done — called also staff
(10) : a long wooden straightedge used with the edge against fresh plaster to bring the plaster to a true surface
b. : a slender bar resembling a wand of wood: as
(1) : fishing rod
(2) dialect Britain : a wagon shaft
(3) : ramrod
(4) : a member used in tension (as for sustaining a suspended weight) or in tension and compression (as for transmitting reciprocating motion) : connecting rod
(5) : any of various parts of the metal framework below the body of a railroad car — usually used in the phrase ride the rods
then I rode the rods east — Earle Birney
(6) slang : revolver , pistol
(7) : a wood or metal often expandable bar used for hanging household items (as window or shower curtains, clothes, and towels)
(8) : lightning rod
c.
(1) : scepter
(2) : a wand or staff carried as a badge of office by a marshal, usher, or similar official
2.
a.
(1) : a means of punishment
(2) : punishment inflicted
b. : power , authority , tyranny
shall rule them with a rod of iron — Revelations 2:27 (Revised Standard Version)
3.
a. : a unit of length equal to 5 1/2 yards or 16 1/2 feet — see measure table
b. : a square rod
4. : any of the long rod-shaped sensory bodies in the retina responsive to faint light — compare cone 3c; see scotopia
5. : a bacterium shaped like a rod
6. : whip 3a
7. : fisherman
8. : hot rod
II. transitive verb
( rodded ; rodded ; rodding ; rods )
1. : to provide with lightning rods
2. : to pack tight, smooth, or pulverize (as concrete) by pounding with a rod
3. : to remove obstacles from or clean (a receptacle) by running a rod through