GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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Found one definition
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Rod (?), n. [The same word as rood. See Rood.]
1. A straight and slender stick; a wand; hence, any slender bar, as of wood or metal (applied to various purposes). Specifically: (a) An instrument of punishment or correction; figuratively, chastisement.
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He that spareth his rod hateth his son. Prov. xiii. 24.
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(b) A kind of sceptor, or badge of office; hence, figuratively, power; authority; tyranny; oppression. “The rod, and bird of peace.” Shak. (c) A support for a fishing line; a fish pole. Gay. (d) (Mach. & Structure) A member used in tension, as for sustaining a suspended weight, or in tension and compression, as for transmitting reciprocating motion, etc.; a connecting bar. (e) An instrument for measuring.
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2. A measure of length containing sixteen and a half feet; -- called also perch, and pole.
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Black rod. See in the Vocabulary. -- Rods and cones (Anat.), the elongated cells or elements of the sensory layer of the retina, some of which are cylindrical, others somewhat conical.
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