| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
rod (rɒd) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a slim cylinder of metal, wood, etc; stick or shaft |
| 2. | a switch or bundle of switches used to administer corporal punishment |
| 3. | any of various staffs of insignia or office |
| 4. | power, esp of a tyrannical kind: a dictator's iron rod |
| 5. | a straight slender shoot, stem, or cane of a woody plant |
| 6. | See fishing rod |
| 7. | pole, Also called: perch |
| a. a unit of length equal to 5½ yards | |
| b. a unit of square measure equal to 301⁄4 square yards | |
| 8. | a straight narrow board marked with the dimensions of a piece of joinery, as the spacing of steps on a staircase |
| 9. | Compare shaft a metal shaft that transmits power in axial reciprocating motion: piston rod, con(necting) rod |
| 10. | surveying another name (esp US) for staff |
| 11. | Compare cone Also called: retinal rod any of the elongated cylindrical cells in the retina of the eye, containing the visual purple (rhodopsin), which are sensitive to dim light but not to colour |
| 12. | any rod-shaped bacterium |
| 13. | a slang word for penis |
| 14. | (US) slang name for pistol |
| 15. | short for hot rod |
| [Old English rodd; related to Old Norse rudda club, Norwegian rudda, rydda twig] | |
| 'rodlike | |
| —adj | |
rod (rŏd)
n.
A straight slender cylindrical formation.
A rod cell.
An elongated bacterium; a bacillus.
| rod (rŏd) Pronunciation Key
One of the rod-shaped cells in the retina of the eye of many vertebrate animals. Rods are more sensitive to light than cones and are responsible for the ability to see in dim light. However, rods are insensitive to red wavelengths of light and do not contribute greatly to the perception of color. Compare cone. |
(hot) rod definition
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rod definition
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