Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rod” come from?

Rod comes from Middle English rodde, from Old English rodd, of unknown ultimate origin.

rod (English): A straight, round stick, shaft, bar, cane, or...

Definitions

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

Ancestry of “rod”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRodney—
2Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
3Proto-Germanicagwjō—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “rod”

  • ramrod
  • goldenrod
  • rodlike
  • pushrod
  • nanorod
  • rodman
  • rodder
  • rodster
  • rodshaped
  • flyrod
  • interrod
  • rodless
  • rodlet
  • roddy
  • rodfisher
  • rodfishing
  • rodsman
  • flyrodder
  • microrod
  • polyrod
  • rodmeter
  • flatrod
  • rodwork
  • rodbuster
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →