Rod

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɒd/

Definitions

1. A long, narrow object typically used for support or as a guide
2. A slender, cylindrical stick often made from wood or metal ; a device used for taking length or size measurements ; a long, flexible pole used to catch fish
3. An elongated piece of material, usually straight and narrow ; an instrument designed to gauge dimensions or distances ; a fishing tool consisting of a long rod and a line

Etymology: The most striking thing about "rod" is how little anyone can say for certain about where it came from. Its earliest English forms are Old English "rodd," meaning a stick or pole, but the trail behind that is murky. Scholars have proposed a link to a Proto-Germanic root ""rōdō" meaning rod or pole, yet that connection is generally thought to be unlikely, and the word may have a separate origin entirely. A more concrete lead points to Old Norse, where "rudda" meant a club. The Old English form may be connected to an early Germanic noun ""rodde," which survives in a dative plural form "roddum," meaning rod or pole. Some scholars suggest that the Germanic word itself may have been borrowed from an older source, though the exact pathway remains uncertain. Its most plausible relation within English is with "rid," a verb meaning to clear something away. The connection is in the root, which suggests the sense of clearing or cutting, though the link is tentative and not firmly established.

Synonyms: stick, bar, pole, shaft, wand

Antonyms: mass, block, lump, clump, chunk