ROD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rod mean? 

• ROD (noun)
  The noun ROD has 6 senses:

1. a long thin implement made of metal or wood

2. any rod-shaped bacterium

3. a linear measure of 16.5 feet

4. a square rod of land

5. a visual receptor cell that is sensitive to dim light

6. a gangster's pistol

  Familiarity information: ROD used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ROD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A long thin implement made of metal or wood

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("rod" is a kind of...):

implement (instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rod"):

baton; wand (a thin tapered rod used by a conductor to lead an orchestra or choir)

wand (a rod used by a magician or water diviner)

tie rod (either of two rods that link the steering gear to the front wheels)

stair-rod (a rod that holds a stair-carpet in the angle between two steps)

shaft (a long rod or pole (especially the handle of an implement or the body of a weapon like a spear or arrow))

rotating shaft; shaft (a revolving rod that transmits power or motion)

ramrod (a rod used to clean the barrel of a firearm)

ramrod (a rod used to ram the charge into a muzzle-loading firearm)

pole (a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic)

kickstand (a swiveling metal rod attached to a bicycle or motorcycle or other two-wheeled vehicle; the rod lies horizontally when not in use but can be kicked into a vertical position as a support to hold the vehicle upright when it is not being ridden)

fishing pole; fishing rod (a rod of wood or steel or fiberglass that is used in fishing to extend the fishing line)

control rod (a steel or aluminum rod that can be moved up or down to control the rate of the nuclear reaction)

connecting rod (a rod that transmits motion (especially one that connects a rotating wheel to a reciprocating shaft))

baton (a hollow metal rod that is wielded or twirled by a drum major or drum majorette)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any rod-shaped bacterium

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("rod" is a kind of...):

bacteria; bacterium ((microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission; important as pathogens and for biochemical properties; taxonomy is difficult; often considered to be plants)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rod"):

streptobacillus (any of various rod-shaped Gram-negative bacteria)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A linear measure of 16.5 feet

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

perch; pole; rod

Hypernyms ("rod" is a kind of...):

linear measure; linear unit (a unit of measurement of length)

Meronyms (parts of "rod"):

pace; yard (a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride)

Domain region:

Britain; Great Britain; U.K.; UK; United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Holonyms ("rod" is a part of...):

furlong (a unit of length equal to 220 yards)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A square rod of land

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

perch; pole; rod

Hypernyms ("rod" is a kind of...):

area unit; square measure (a system of units used to measure areas)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A visual receptor cell that is sensitive to dim light

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

retinal rod; rod; rod cell

Hypernyms ("rod" is a kind of...):

visual cell (one of the cells of the retina that is sensitive to light)

Meronyms (parts of "rod"):

retinal purple; rhodopsin; visual purple (a red photopigment in the retinal rods of vertebrates; dissociates into retinene by light)

Holonyms ("rod" is a part of...):

retina (the innermost light-sensitive membrane covering the back wall of the eyeball; it is continuous with the optic nerve)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A gangster's pistol

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

gat; rod

Hypernyms ("rod" is a kind of...):

handgun; pistol; shooting iron; side arm (a firearm that is held and fired with one hand)

Domain usage:

argot; cant; jargon; lingo; patois; slang; vernacular (a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves))

 Context examples 

A species of anaerobic, Gram negative, rod shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria.

(Actinobacillus equuli, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of Gram negative, rod shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria.

(Aeromonas punctata, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of aerobic or anaerobic, Gram negative, rod shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria.

(Aeromonas hydrophila, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of obligately aerobic, Gram negative, rod shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria.

(Alcaligenes faecalis, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of strictly anaerobic, Gram negative, rod shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Bacteroidetes.

(Alistipes putredinis, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of strictly anaerobic, Gram positive, rod shaped bacteria in the phylum Actinobacteria.

(Atopobium minutum, NCI Thesaurus)

A genus of anaerobic, Gram negative, rod shaped bacterium assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria and the family Campylobacteraceae.

(Arcobacter, NCI Thesaurus)

A species of facultatively anaerobic, Gram positive, rod shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Actinobacteria.

(Arcanobacterium haemolyticum, NCI Thesaurus)

"Hardened girl!" exclaimed Miss Scatcherd; "nothing can correct you of your slatternly habits: carry the rod away."

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

A species of aerobic, Gram positive, rod shaped bacterium assigned to the phylum Actinobacteria.

(Mycobacterium flavescens, NCI Thesaurus)