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

rod traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English Rodney

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRodneyA small Newfoundland wooden boat typically used by one person
2Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
3Proto-Germanicagwjō—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

via Proto-Slavic rǫdъ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavicrǫdъthorny, prickly; curly, locky
2Proto-Balto-Slavicradásbirth, genus
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwréh₂dsroot

via Middle English rodde

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishroddeA wooden stick; a twig, shoot; especially for the...
2Old Englishrodd—

Words derived from “rod”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →