different between rod vs rail

English

Etymology

From Middle English rodde, from Old English *rodd or *rodde (attested in dative plural roddum (“rod, pole”)), of uncertain origin, but probably from Proto-Germanic *rudd- (“stick, club”), from Proto-Indo-European *rewd?- (“to clear land”). Compare Old Norse rudda (“club”). For the root, compare English rid. Presumably unrelated to Proto-Germanic *r?d? (“rod, pole”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??d/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??d/
• Rhymes: -?d

Noun

rod (plural rods)

1. A straight, round stick, shaft, bar, cane, or staff.

   The circus strong man proved his strength by bending an iron rod, and then straightening it.

2. A longitudinal pole used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent.
3. (fishing) A long slender usually tapering pole used for angling; fishing rod.

   When I hooked a snake and not a fish, I got so scared I dropped my rod in the water.

4. A stick, pole, or bundle of switches or twigs (such as a birch), used for personal defense or to administer corporal punishment by whipping.
5. An implement resembling and/or supplanting a rod (particularly a cane) that is used for corporal punishment, and metonymically called the rod, regardless of its actual shape and composition.

   The judge imposed on the thief a sentence of fifteen strokes with the rod.

6. A stick used to measure distance, by using its established length or task-specific temporary marks along its length, or by dint of specific graduated marks.

   I notched a rod and used it to measure the length of rope to cut.

8. (archaic) A unit of length equal to 1 pole, a perch, ¹?₄ chain, 5+¹?₂ yards, 16+¹?₂ feet, or exactly 5.0292 meters (these being all equivalent).
   • 1842, Edgar Allan Poe, ‘The Mystery of Marie Rogêt’:

     ‘And this thicket, so full of a natural art, was in the immediate vicinity, within a few rods, of the dwelling of Madame Deluc, whose boys were in the habit of closely examining the shrubberies about them in search of the bark of the sassafras.’

   • 1865, Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod

     In one of the villages I saw the next summer a cow tethered by a rope six rods long […].

   • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Ch.I:

     A few rods farther led him past the old black Presbyterian church, with its square tower, embowered in a stately grove; past the Catholic church, with its many crosses, and a painted wooden figure of St. James in a recess beneath the gable; and past the old Jefferson House, once the leading hotel of the town, in front of which political meetings had been held, and political speeches made, and political hard cider drunk, in the days of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too."
9. An implement held vertically and viewed through an optical surveying instrument such as a transit, used to measure distance in land surveying and construction layout; an engineer's rod, surveyor's rod, surveying rod, leveling rod, ranging rod. The modern (US) engineer's or surveyor's rod commonly is eight or ten feet long and often designed to extend higher. In former times a surveyor's rod often was a single wooden pole or composed of multiple sectioned and socketed pieces, and besides serving as a sighting target was used to measure distance on the ground horizontally, hence for convenience was of one rod or pole in length, that is, 5+¹?₂ yards.
10. (archaic) A unit of area equal to a square rod, 30+¹?₄ square yards or ¹?₁₆₀ acre.

    The house had a small yard of about six rods in size.

11. A straight bar that unites moving parts of a machine, for holding parts together as a connecting rod or for transferring power as a drive-shaft.

    The engine threw a rod, and then went to pieces before our eyes, springs and coils shooting in all directions.

12. (anatomy) A rod cell: a rod-shaped cell in the eye that is sensitive to light.

    The rods are more sensitive than the cones, but do not discern color.

13. (biology) Any of a number of long, slender microorganisms.

    He applied a gram positive stain, looking for rods indicative of Listeria.

14. (chemistry) A stirring rod: a glass rod, typically about 6 inches to 1 foot long and ¹?₈ to ¹?₄ inch in diameter that can be used to stir liquids in flasks or beakers.
15. (slang) A pistol; a gun.
16. (slang, vulgar) A penis.
17. (slang) A hot rod, an automobile or other passenger motor vehicle modified to run faster and often with exterior cosmetic alterations, especially one based originally on a pre-1940s model or (currently) denoting any older vehicle thus modified.
18. (ufology) A rod-shaped object that appears in photographs or videos traveling at high speed, not seen by the person recording the event, often associated with extraterrestrial entities.
    • 2000, Jack Barranger, Paul Tice, Mysteries Explored: The Search for Human Origins, Ufos, and Religious Beginnings, Book Three, p.37:

      These cylindrical rods fly through the air at incredible speeds and can only be picked up by high-speed cameras.

    • 2009, Barry Conrad, An Unknown Encounter: A True Account of the San Pedro Haunting, Dorrance Publishing, pp.129–130:

      During one such broadcast in 1997, the esteemed radio host bellowed, “I got a fax earlier today from MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) in Arizona and they said what you think are rods are actually insects!”

    • 2010, Deena West Budd, The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology: Werewolves, Dragons, Skyfish, Lizard Men, and Other Fascinating Creatures Real and Mysterious, Weiser Books, p.15:

      He tells of a home video showing a rod flying into the open mouth of a girl singing at a wedding.

19. (mathematics) A Cuisenaire rod.
20. (rail transport) A coupling rod or connecting rod, which links the driving wheels of a steam locomotive.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:stick
• See also Thesaurus:penis
• (objects in photographs and videos): skyfish

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• crook

References

Further reading

• Rod on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Rod in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Verb

rod (third-person singular simple present rods, present participle rodding, simple past and past participle rodded)

1. (construction) To reinforce concrete with metal rods.
2. (transitive) To furnish with rods, especially lightning rods.
3. (slang, vulgar, transitive) To penetrate sexually.
4. (slang) To hot rod.

Anagrams

• D. Or., DRO, Dor, Dor., ODR, Ord, RDO, d'or, dor, dro, ord

Breton

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *rrod, from Proto-Celtic *rotos, from Proto-Indo-European *Hróth?os.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ro?t/

Noun

rod f (plural rodoù)

1. wheel

Czech

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *r?d?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?rot]

Noun

rod m

1. family, stock, lineage
2. (botany) genus
3. (grammar) gender
4. (grammar) voice

Declension

Derived terms

• mužský rod (“masculine (gender)”)
• ženský rod (“feminine (gender)”)
• st?ední rod (“neuter (gender)”)
• ?inný rod (“active voice”) (= aktivum)
• trpný rod (“passive voice”) (= pasivum)

Further reading

• rod in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• rod in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [??o?ð], [??oð?]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse rót, from Proto-Germanic *wr?ts, from Proto-Indo-European *wréh?ds. English root is borrowed from Old Norse.

Noun

rod c (singular definite roden, plural indefinite rødder)

1. root
2. yob
3. (mathematics) root, zero (element ${\displaystyle x}$ in the domain of a function such that ${\displaystyle f(x)=0}$)

Inflection

Synonyms

• (mathematics): nulpunkt

Related terms

• gulerod
• rodbehandling
• rodfrugt
• tandrod

Etymology 2

From the verb rode.

Noun

rod n (singular definite rodet, not used in plural form)

1. disorder, mess, muddle

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

rod

1. imperative of rode

East Franconian

Alternative forms

• ruad (Itzgründisch)

Adjective

rod

1. red

German Low German

Alternative forms

• (Low Prussian) root (rot)

Etymology

From Old Saxon r?d, from Proto-West Germanic *raud, from Proto-Germanic *raudaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h?rowd?ós < *h?rewd?-. Compare Dutch rood, German rot, West Frisian read, English red, Danish rød.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???u?t/

Adjective

rod

1. (in several dialects) red

Hunsrik

Alternative forms

• root (Wiesemann spelling system)

Etymology

From Middle High German r?t (“red, red-haired”), from Old High German r?t (“red, scarlet, purple-red, brown-red, yellow-red”), from Proto-West Germanic *raud, from Proto-Germanic *raudaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h?rowd?ós, from *h?rewd?-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ro?t/

Adjective

rod (comparative roder, superlative rodest)

1. red

Declension

Derived terms

• weinrod

See also

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Latvian

Verb

rod

1. 3rd person singular present indicative form of rast
2. 3rd person plural present indicative form of rast
3. (with the particle lai) 3rd person singular imperative form of rast
4. (with the particle lai) 3rd person plural imperative form of rast

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *rod? (“root”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *radas, from Proto-Indo-European *wréh?ds (“root”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /r?t/

Noun

rod m

1. sex (gender (male or female))
2. lineage, family
3. (grammar) gender

Declension

Further reading

• rod in Ernst Muka/Mucke (St. Petersburg and Prague 1911–28): S?ownik dolnoserbskeje r?cy a jeje nar?cow / Wörterbuch der nieder-wendischen Sprache und ihrer Dialekte. Reprinted 2008, Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag
• rod in Manfred Starosta (1999): Dolnoserbsko-nimski s?ownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *r?d?. Cognate with Old Frisian r?d, Old Saxon r?da, Dutch roede (“rod”), Old High German ruota (German Rute), Old Norse róða (“rod, cross”) (Danish rode (“gauge, rod”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ro?d/

Noun

r?d f

1. cross (method of execution)
2. a measure of land length, equal to a perch
3. a measure of land area, equal to a quarter of an acre

Usage notes

• An archaic locative singular form, ????, appears on the Ruthwell Cross inscription.

Declension

Related terms

• r?dfæstnian

Descendants

• Middle English: rod, roode, rood
  • Scots: rude, ruid
  • English: rood, rod (length)

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *raud, from Proto-Germanic *raudaz, whence also Old English r?ad, Old Frisian r?d, Old High German r?t, Old Norse rauðr, Gothic ???????????????????? (rauþs). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h?rowd?ós < *h?rewd?-.

Adjective

r?d (comparative r?doro, superlative r?dost)

1. red

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: r?t
  • German Low German:

    Hamburgisch: rod

    Westphalian

    Sauerländisch: räod, raud, reyet, rout, r?et

    Westmünsterländisch: root

  • Plautdietsch: root

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /r?t/

Noun

rod m inan

1. rhodium (chemical element, Rh, atomic number 45)

Declension

Further reading

• rod in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology 1

From a Slavic language, from Proto-Slavic *rod?.

Noun

rod n (plural roade)

1. fruit
2. (figuratively) fruit (advantageous result)

Declension

Synonyms

• fruct n
• poam? f

Etymology 2

Verb

rod

1. first-person singular present indicative of roade
2. first-person singular present subjunctive of roade
3. third-person plural present indicative of roade

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *rod?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rô?d/

Noun

r?d m (Cyrillic spelling ????)

1. gender
2. (botany) genus
3. relative, relation
4. fruit, crop, extraction (rarely used in these senses)
5. family, stock, lineage, kin, race

Declension

Derived terms

References

• “rod” in Hrvatski jezi?ni portal

Veps

Etymology

Related to ruoto.

Noun

rod

1. bone (of fish)

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ro?d/

Noun

rod

1. Soft mutation of rhod.

Mutation

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?l/, [?e??]
• Rhymes: -e?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English rail, rayl, *re?el, *re?ol (found in re?olsticke (“a ruler”)), partly from Old English regol (“a ruler, straight bar”) and partly from Old French reille; both from Latin regula (“rule, bar”), from regere (“to rule, to guide, to govern”); see regular.

Noun

rail (plural rails)

1. A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing.
2. The metal bar that makes the track for a railroad.
3. A railroad; a railway, as a means of transportation.

4. A horizontal piece of wood that serves to separate sections of a door or window.
5. (surfing) One of the lengthwise edges of a surfboard.
   • c. 2000, Nick Carroll, surfline.com [1]:

     Rails alone can only ever have a marginal effect on a board's general turning ability.

6. (Internet) A vertical section on one side of a web page.

7. (drugs) A large line (portion or serving of a powdery illegal drug).
   • 2013, Jason Isbell, "Super 8":

     Do a couple rails and chase your own tail

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Verb

rail (third-person singular simple present rails, present participle railing, simple past and past participle railed)

1. (intransitive) To travel by railway.
   • 1890, Rudyard Kipling, At the End of the Passage

     Mottram of the Indian Survey had ridden thirty and railed one hundred miles from his lonely post in the desert […]

2. (transitive) To enclose with rails or a railing.
   • 1726, John Ayliffe, Parergon juris canonici Anglicani

     It ought to be fenced in and railed.

3. (transitive) To range in a line.

   • They were brought to London all railed in ropes, like a team of horses in a cart.

Derived terms

• unrail

Translations

Etymology 2

From French râle, Old French rasle. Compare Medieval Latin rallus. Named from its harsh cry, Vulgar Latin *rasculum, from Latin r?dere (“to scrape”).

Noun

rail (plural rails)

Wikispecies

1. Any of several birds in the family Rallidae.

Usage notes

• Not all birds in the family Rallidae are rails by their common name. The family also includes coots, moorhens, crakes, flufftails, waterhens and others.

Derived terms

• Aztec rail
• banded rail
• buff-banded rail
• clapper rail
• king rail
• mangrove rail
• Mexican rail
• Okinawa rail
• Ridgway's rail
• water rail

Related terms

• ralline

Translations

See also

• corncrake

Etymology 3

From Middle French railler.

Verb

rail (third-person singular simple present rails, present participle railing, simple past and past participle railed)

1. To complain violently (against, about).
   • 1623, William Shakespeare, "The Merchant of Venice" (First folio)

     Till thou canst raile the seale from off my bond
     Thou but offend'st thy Lungs to speake so loud:
     Repaire thy wit good youth, or it will fall
     To endlesse ruine. I stand heere for Law.

   • 1882, Mark Twain, The Stolen White Elephant, [2]

     Now that the detectives were in adversity, the newspapers turned upon them, and began to fling the most stinging sarcasms at them. This gave the minstrels an idea, and they dressed themselves as detectives and hunted the elephant on the stage in the most extravagant way. The caricaturists made pictures of detectives scanning the country with spy-glasses, while the elephant, at their backs, stole apples out of their pockets. And they made all sorts of ridiculous pictures of the detective badge—you have seen that badge printed in gold on the back of detective novels no doubt, it is a wide-staring eye, with the legend, “WE NEVER SLEEP.” When detectives called for a drink, the would-be facetious barkeeper resurrected an obsolete form of expression and said, “Will you have an eye-opener?” All the air was thick with sarcasms. But there was one man who moved calm, untouched, unaffected, through it all. It was that heart of oak, the chief inspector. His brave eye never drooped, his serene confidence never wavered. He always said: “Let them rail on; he laughs best who laughs last.”

   • 1910, "Saki", H. H. Munro, The Bag,[3]

     The Major’s fury clothed and reclothed itself in words as frantically as a woman up in town for one day’s shopping tries on a succession of garments. He reviled and railed at fate and the general scheme of things, he pitied himself with a strong, deep pity too poignent for tears, he condemned every one with whom he had ever come in contact to endless and abnormal punishments.

   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 27:

     Chief Joyi railed against the white man, whom he believed had deliberately sundered the Xhosa tribe, dividing brother from brother.

Translations

Etymology 4

From Middle English rail, reil, from Old English hræ?l (“garment, dress, robe”). Cognate with Old Frisian hreil, reil, Old Saxon hregil, Old High German hregil (“clothing, garment, dress”).

Alternative forms

• rayle

Noun

rail (plural rails)

1. (obsolete) An item of clothing; a cloak or other garment; a dress.
2. (obsolete) Specifically, a woman's headscarf or neckerchief.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Fairholt to this entry?)

Derived terms

• night-rail

Etymology 5

Probably from Anglo-Norman raier, Middle French raier.

Verb

rail (third-person singular simple present rails, present participle railing, simple past and past participle railed)

1. (obsolete, of a liquid) To gush, flow.

   • his breste and his brayle was bloodé – and hit rayled all over the see.

   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.2:

     So furiously each other did assayle, / As if their soules they would attonce haue rent / Out of their brests, that streames of bloud did rayle / Adowne, as if their springes of life were spent […].

See also

• ride the rail

Anagrams

• Lair, aril, lair, lari, liar, lira, rial

Catalan

Alternative forms

• raïl (superseded)

Etymology

Borrowed from English rail.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /?rajl/

Noun

rail m (plural rails)

1. rail

   Synonym: carril

Further reading

• “rail” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English rail.

Pronunciation

• (Belgium) IPA^(key): /rel/
• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): /re?l/

Noun

rail f (plural rails, diminutive railsje n or railtje n)

1. rail

Usage notes

The diminutive railsjes is only used if used for railway tracks.

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: rel

References

French

Etymology

From English rail.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?aj/
• Homophone: raï

Noun

rail m (plural rails)

1. rail

Further reading

• “rail” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• lira

Spanish

Noun

rail m (plural railes)

1. (rare) Alternative form of raíl

Further reading

• “rail” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.