Rod word meaning and definition

[noun] any rod-shaped bacterium
[noun] (slang) a gangster's pistol
[noun] a long thin implement made of metal or wood
[noun] visual receptor cell sensitive to dim light
[noun] a square rod of land
[noun] (British) a linear measure of 16.5 feet

\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.

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