• IPA: /ɹuːd/

rood (plural roods)

1. (archaic) A crucifix, cross, especially in a church.
   • 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, “[(please specify the book title).] The Thirde Booke of the Historie of Ireland, Comprising the Raigne of Henry the Eyght: [...].”, in The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: Imprinted [by Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, OCLC 55195564 ↗, pages 77–78 ↗, column 2:

     The Citizens in their rage, imagining that euery poſt in the Churche had bin one of y{{sup

   • c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals):

     act III scene 4

     Have you forgot me?

     No, by the rood, not so.

2. A measure of land area, equal to a quarter of an acre.
   • 1855, Robert Browning, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, XXV:

     Next a marsh, it would seem, and now mere earth / Desperate and done with; (so a fool finds mirth, / Makes a thing and then mars it, till his mood / Changes and off he goes!) within a rood— / Bog, clay and rubble, sand and stark black dearth.

   • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, Chapter V, p. 58,

     […] a bumptious fool whose god was property, not property in vast estates such as a true man might worship, but in paltry roods.

3. (UK, dialect, obsolete) A measure of five and a half yards in length.
   • c 1667, John Milton, '''', Book I.

     Thus Satan...his other parts besides Prone on the flood, extended long and large, Lay floating many a rood...

• (quarter of an acre) farthingdale, day's work, daywork, farthing, ferling, farthingdeal, farthingdole, farundel, yard, rod, (Scottish) Scottish rood, (Israeli) dunam

• French: vergée

1. Surname