Aaron's rod
UK /ˈɛəɹ.ənz ɹɒd/ · US /ˈɛɹ.ənz ɹɑd/ noun
Forms Aaron's rods
- noun Verbascum thapsus, the great mullein, common mullein, or hag-taper.
- noun Goldenrod, the Solidago genus of North American plants with yellow flowers.
- noun Hylotelephium telephium (syn. Sedum telephium; orpine, livelong, or live-forever).
- noun (architecture) A rod-shaped molding decorated with an entwined snake, and sometimes leaves, vines, or scrolls.
- noun (archaic) A rod with one serpent twined around it, as used by Aaron (differing from the caduceus of Mercury, which has two serpents).
- noun (slang, dated, uncommon) The penis.
Synonyms
torchwort hag-taper common mullein great mullein Adam's flannel Jacob's staff Jupiter's staff cow's lungwort flannel mullein woolly mullein torch Verbascum thapsus
Etymology
A reference to Numbers 17:8, the Authorized / KJV translation: "And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." (spelling modernized).
Webster’s 1913
- A rod with one serpent twined around it, thus differing from the caduceus of Mercury, which has two.
- A plant with a tall flowering stem; esp. the great mullein, or hag-taper, and the golden-rod.
Etymology [See Exodus vii. 9 and Numbers xvii. 8]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Aaron's rod”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details