Pole vs. Rod

Pole vs. Rod — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Pole and Rod

Polenoun

Originally, a stick; now specifically, a long and slender piece of metal or (especially) wood, used for various construction or support purposes.

Rodnoun

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.

Polenoun

(angling) A type of basic fishing rod.

Rodnoun

A longitudinal pole used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent.

Polenoun

A long sports implement used for pole-vaulting; now made of glassfiber or carbon fiber, formerly also metal, bamboo and wood have been used.

Rodnoun

(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.
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Polenoun

A telescope used to identify birds, aeroplanes or wildlife.

Rodnoun

A stick, pole, or bundle of switches or twigs (such as a birch), used for personal defense or to administer corporal punishment by whipping.

Polenoun

(historical) A unit of length, equal to a perch (¼ chain or 5½ yards).

Rodnoun

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.

Polenoun

(motor racing) Pole position.

Rodnoun

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.
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Polenoun

A gun.

Rodnoun

(archaic) A unit of length equal to 1 pole, a perch, ¼ chain, 5½ yards, 16½ feet, or exactly 5.0292 meters (these being all equivalent).

Polenoun

Either of the two points on the earth's surface around which it rotates; also, similar points on any other rotating object.

Rodnoun

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, 5½ yards.

Polenoun

A point of magnetic focus, especially each of the two opposing such points of a magnet (designated north and south).

Rodnoun

(archaic) A unit of area equal to a square rod, 30¼ square yards or 1/160 acre.

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

Polenoun

(geometry) A fixed point relative to other points or lines.

Rodnoun

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.

Polenoun

(electricity) A contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves.

Rodnoun

(anatomy) Short for 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.

Polenoun

(complex analysis) For a meromorphic function f(z), any point a for which f(z) \rightarrow \infty as z \rightarrow a.

Rodnoun

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

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

Polenoun

(obsolete) The firmament; the sky.

Rodnoun

(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.

Polenoun

Either of the states that characterize a bipolar disorder.

Rodnoun

(slang) A pistol; a gun.

Poleverb

To propel by pushing with poles, to push with a pole.

Huck Finn poled that raft southward down the Mississippi because going northward against the current was too much work.

Rodnoun

A penis.

Poleverb

To identify something quite precisely using a telescope.

He poled off the serial of the Gulfstream to confirm its identity.

Rodnoun

(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.

Poleverb

(transitive) To furnish with poles for support.

to pole beans or hops

Rodnoun

(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.

Poleverb

(transitive) To convey on poles.

to pole hay into a barn

Rodnoun

(mathematics) A Cuisenaire rod.

Poleverb

(transitive) To stir, as molten glass, with a pole.

Rodnoun

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

Poleverb

(transitive) To induce piezoelectricity in (a substance) by aligning the dipoles.

Rodverb

(construction) To reinforce concrete with metal rods.

Polenoun

a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic

Rodverb

To penetrate sexually.

Polenoun

a native or inhabitant of Poland

Rodverb

(slang) To hot rod.

Polenoun

one of two divergent or mutually exclusive opinions;

they are at opposite polesthey are poles apart

Rodnoun

a linear measure of 16.5 feet

Polenoun

a linear measure of 16.5 feet

Rodnoun

a long thin implement made of metal or wood

Polenoun

a square rod of land

Rodnoun

any rod-shaped bacterium

Polenoun

one of two points of intersection of the Earth's axis and the celestial sphere

Rodnoun

a square rod of land

Polenoun

one of two antipodal points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the Earth's surface

Rodnoun

visual receptor cell sensitive to dim light

Polenoun

a contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves

Rodnoun

a gangster's pistol

Polenoun

a long fiberglass sports implement used for pole vaulting

Polenoun

one of the two ends of a magnet where the magnetism seems to be concentrated

Poleverb

propel with a pole;

pole barges on the riverWe went punting in Cambridge

Poleverb

support on poles;

pole climbing plants like beans

Poleverb

deoxidize molten metals by stirring them with a wooden pole