See Also: Rood(medicine)
rood(dictionary)
rood screen(dictionary)
ROOD OF LAND(law)

rood (iou)



rood noun. [ru:d]
[Old English rod = Old Frisian rod(e), Old Saxon roda. In branch II rel. to Old Saxon roda, Middle & mod. Dutch ro(o)de (also mod. roede), Old High German ruota (German Rute).]
I. A cross as an instrument of execution; = CROSS noun 2. OE-LME.
The Cross on which Jesus suffered; the cross as the symbol of the Christian faith. arch. OE.
A crucifix, esp. one stationed above the middle of a rood-screen; rare a figure of the Cross of Jesus as a religious object. OE.
II.
A former measure of length for land, usu. equal to a perch. OE.
a. A former measure of area for land, later standardized at a quarter of an acre (40 square perches, approx. 0.1012 hectare); a plot of land of this size. OE.
b. A measure of area for land, paving, timber, masonry, etc., usu. equal to a square perch. LME-M19.
Comb. & phrases: by the rood! arch. expr. asseveration; Holy Rood: see HOLY adjective. rood-beam a transverse beam supporting a rood, usu. forming the head of a rood-screen; Rood day (obsolete exc. Hist.) Holy Rood Day; rood-loft a loft or gallery at the top of a rood-screen; rood-screen a screen, usu. of richly carved wood or stone, separating the nave from the chancel of a church.