3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Rod  \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. 
 
  He  that  spareth  his  rod  hateth  his  son.  --Prov. 
  xiii.  24. 
  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. 
 
  2.  A  measure  of  length  containing  sixteen  and  a  half  feet;  -- 
  called  also  {perch},  and  {pole}. 
 
  {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. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  rod 
  n  1:  a  long  thin  implement  made  of  metal  or  wood 
  2:  any  rod-shaped  bacterium 
  3:  (British)  a  linear  measure  of  16.5  feet  [syn:  {perch},  {pole}] 
  4:  a  square  rod  of  land  [syn:  {perch},  {pole}] 
  5:  visual  receptor  cell  sensitive  to  dim  light  [syn:  {rod  cell}, 
  {retinal  rod}] 
  6:  (slang)  a  gangster's  pistol  [syn:  {gat}] 
 
  From  V.E.R.A.  --  Virtual  Entity  of  Relevant  Acronyms  13  March  2001  [vera]: 
 
  ROD 
  Rewritable  Optical  Disk  OD 
 
 

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