rood
/ɹuːd/ noun, proper noun
Forms roods
- noun (archaic) A crucifix, cross, especially in a church.
- noun A measure of land area, equal to a quarter of an acre.
- noun (Chester, historical) An area of sixty-four square yards.
- noun (UK, dialectal, obsolete) A measure of five and a half yards in length.
- noun (archaic) The human face.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
farthingdale day's work daywork farthing ferling farthingdeal farthingdole farundel yard rod Scottish rood dunam crucifix rood-tree
Etymology
From Middle English rode, rood (“cross”), from Old English rōd (“cross”), from Proto-Germanic *rōdō, *rōdǭ (“rod, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *rōt-, *reh₁t- (“bar, beam, stem”).
Cognate with German Rute (“rod, cane, pole”), Norwegian roda (“rod”). Largely displaced by cross. More at rod.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A representation in sculpture or in painting of the cross with Christ hanging on it.
- noun A measure of five and a half yards in length; a red; a perch; a pole. [Prov.Eng.]
Etymology [AS. rr, D. roede rod, G. ruthe, rute, OHG. ruota. CF. Rod a measure.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rood”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details