rod

rod
(rd)
   1. a traditional unit of distance equal to 5.5 yards (16 feet 6 inches or exactly 5.0292 meters). The rod and the furlong were the basic distance units used by the Anglo-Saxon residents of England before the Norman conquest of 1066. The Saxons generally called this unit the gyrd, a word which comes down to us as the name of a different unit, the yard. "Rod" is another Saxon word which meant just what it means today: a straight stick. The Normans preferred to call the gyrd a pole or a perch (a word of French origin, meaning a pole; see perche). The length of the rod was well established at least as early as the eighth century. It may have originated as the length of an ox-goad, a pole used to control a team of 8 oxen (4 yokes). Scholars are not sure how the rod was related to shorter units. It may have been considered equal to 20 "natural" feet (actual foot lengths; see foot), or it may have been measured "by hand" as 30 shaftments. In any case, when the modern foot became established in the twelfth century, the royal government did not want to change the length of the rod, since that length was the basis of land measurement, land records, and taxes. Therefore the rod was redefined to equal 16.5 feet, because with reasonable precision that happened to be its length in terms of the new foot. This length was called the "king's perch" at least as early as the time of King Richard the Lionheart (1198). Although rods and perches of other lengths were used locally in Britain, the king's perch eventually prevailed. The relationship between the rod and the other English distance units was confirmed again by the Parliamentary statute of 1592, which defined the statute mile to be either 320 rods or 1760 yards, thus forcing the rod to equal exactly 5.5 yards or 16.5 feet.
   2. a unit of area equal to one square rod1. A rod of area covers exactly 272.25 square feet or about 25.292 85 square meters. There are 40 rods in a rood and 160 rods in an acre.

Dictionary of units of measurement. 2015.

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  • Rod — may mean: *Rod (geometry), a straight and slender stick; a wand; a cylinder; hence, any slender bar *Rod cell, a cell found in the retina that is sensitive to light/dark (black/white) *Rod (length), an Imperial unit of length, also known as the… …   Wikipedia

  • rod — rȏd m <G rȍda, N mn ròdovi> DEFINICIJA 1. a. ono što je rođeno; porod, potomstvo, vrsta b. obitelj, obiteljska loza, soj c. rodbina, srodnici (ob. krvni, po ocu i majci) d. svojta [biti rod] 2. urod, plod, plodovi (voća, krumpira) 3. a.… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Rod — bezeichnet: eine Längeneinheit, siehe Rute (Einheit) ein altdeutsches Wort (auch Rodt) für die Stelle einer Rodung zum Zwecke der Felderweiterung oder Siedlung einen Hot Rod, ein speziell getunter Oldtimer die Ausführung aus massivem Metall… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rod — /rod/, n. a male given name, form of Roderick or Rodney. * * * (as used in expressions) Carew Rod eccentric and rod mechanism hot rod * * * ▪ measurement       old English measure of distance equal to 16.5 feet (5.029 metres), with variations… …   Universalium

  • rod — ROD, roade, s.n. 1. Nume generic dat produselor vegetale obţinute de la plantele cultivate, în special fructelor; fruct. ♢ loc. adj. Cu rod = roditor, fructifer. ♢ Compuse: rodul pământului = plantă erbacee veninoasă, cu frunze mari, late şi… …   Dicționar Român

  • rod — [rɔd US ra:d] n [: Old English; Origin: rodd] 1.) a long thin pole or bar steel/iron/wooden etc rod ▪ The walls are reinforced with steel rods. ▪ a measuring rod ↑basket, ↑net, ↑reel, ↑rod 2.) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Rod — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El término Rod puede tener diferentes significados: Unidad de medida anglosajona (Unidad longitud Rod) Rod (criptozoología y ufología), supuestos fenómenos o criaturas pseudocríptidas. Siglas de una serie de novelas… …   Wikipedia Español

  • rod — ► NOUN 1) a thin straight bar, especially of wood or metal. 2) a fishing rod. 3) a slender straight stick or shoot growing on or cut from a tree or bush. 4) (the rod) the use of a stick for caning or flogging. 5) Anatomy one of two types of light …   English terms dictionary

  • rod — [räd] n. [ME rodde < OE rodd, akin to ON rudda, club, prob. < IE base * rēt , *rōt , bar, beam > L retae, trees on a river bank] 1. a straight, slender shoot or stem cut from, or still part of, a bush or tree 2. Bible an offshoot or… …   English World dictionary

  • 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,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • rôd — m 〈G rȍda, N mn ròdovi〉 1. {{001f}}a. {{001f}}ono što je rođeno; porod, potomstvo, vrsta b. {{001f}}obitelj, obiteljska loza, soj c. {{001f}}rodbina, srodnici (ob. krvni, po ocu i majci) d. {{001f}}svojta [biti ∼] 2. {{001f}}urod, plod, plodovi… …   Veliki rječnik hrvatskoga jezika

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