Rod
/rɒd/noun
A straight, slender stick or bar, often used as a staff, shaft, or measuring implement.
Did you know?English rod is related to words for the ruler’s staff and measuring rod across Germanic languages, showing how a physical stick became a symbol of law, control, and ordered power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reyd-
“to ride, travel”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*rōdō
“rod, staff, pole”
Old English
OE
rōd
“rod, pole, cross”
Old Norse
ON
rǫð
“row, line, series”
Middle English
English
rod
“a straight stick, staff, or measuring pole”
Modern English
English
rod
“a straight, slender stick or bar”