English

Etymology

akin to the Latin rudis, a rod.

Noun

rod (plural: rods )

1. a straight round stick, shaft or bar.
2. a long slender pole used for fishing..
3. a stick or bundle of sticks for beating someone as a punishment.
4. a stick used to measure length.
5. a unit of length equal to 5½ yds.
6. a straigtht bar which connects moving parts of a machine; a connecting rod.
7. in anatomy, rod-shaped cells in the eye that are sensitive to light.
8. in biology, any of a number of long, slender microorganisms.
9. (slang): a pistol; a gun.
10. short for hot rod, a car modified to run faster, especially one based on a pre-1940s model

Related terms

• spare the rod, spoil the child

Translations

• Chinese: 標尺 , 标尺
• Dutch: staaf f
• French: tige f
• German: Stange f
• Greek: ράβδος f
• Hebrew: מוֹט m, מַקֵּל m
• Italian: asta
• Japanese: 棒
• Korean: 막대
• Portuguese: haste
• Russian: штанга f (shtanga)
• Spanish: barra f
• Swedish: metspö n (2), spö n (2,3), ris n (3), (mått)stock c (4), stav c (7)

Tibetan : khar-gyu