Prod

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /pɹɒd/

Definitions

1. To poke or jab someone or something with a finger or pointed object ; to encourage or prompt someone to take action or respond ; a pointed implement used for poking or stirring
2. To jab lightly to get attention or incite movement ; to motivate or remind someone to do something ; a stick or similar tool designed for poking
3. To touch or push with a sharp or pointed tip ; to stimulate activity or effort in a person or group ; an object used to poke or prod as a prompt

Etymology: A prod was once a spike. The Old Norse "broddr" meant a shaft, spike or thorn, and it passed into Middle English as "brod," a goad or nail. The Middle English verb "brodden" meant to goad, incite or urge, and also to sprout, which links the word to the idea of a sharp point pushing forward. The same Germanic stock gave English "brad," a thin nail, and Icelandic and Danish cognates still carry the sense of a spike. Over time "brod" became the form we know, perhaps through the influence of "poke," a word with a similar jabbing sense. Some scholars also suspect sound symbolism, the sense that a short, sharp sound suits a quick jab. The noun has a separate and much more modern origin. It is a shortened form of "production," clipped into a single syllable, so the two uses share a spelling and a jab-like meaning but not a root.

Synonyms: poke, jab, nudge, prick, stab

Antonyms: withdraw, retract, pull back