1. Gourdin.
2. Baguette.
3. Trique.
ETYM French bâton. Related to Baston.
1. Short rod passed from runner to runner in a relay race.
2. Slender rod used by a conductor to direct an orchestra.
Stick used by a conductor to control an orchestra. Typically, the baton is held in the right hand and is used in order to make the conductor's signals more apparent. Generally, conductors do not use a baton when working with choirs or small instrumental ensembles. Earliest records of the baton date to the Sistine Chapel during the 15th century, when the conductor used a roll of paper to beat time. Lully used a large cane. During the 19th century the first violinist waved his bow to conduct. The modern baton seems to have originated in the early 19th century, with its use by Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
ETYM Old Eng. cane, canne, Old Fren. cane, French canne, Latin canna, from Greek kanna, kanne; prob. of Semitic origin; cf. Hebrew qâneh reed. Related to Canister, canon, Cannon.
1. A strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds, rattans, or sugar cane.
2. Something people can lean on to help them walk.
3. Used to hit students as punishment.
Reedlike stem of various plants such as the sugar cane, bamboo, and, in particular, the group of palms called rattans, consisting of the genus Calamus and its allies. Their slender stems are dried and used for making walking sticks, baskets, and furniture.
ETYM The same word as rood. Related to Rood.
1. A long thin implement made of metal or wood.
2. Any rod-shaped bacterium.
3. Visual receptor cell sensitive to dim light; SYN. rod cell, retinal rod.
A type of light-sensitive cell in the retina of most vertebrates. Rods are highly sensitive and provide only black and white vision. They are used when lighting conditions are poor and are the only type of visual cell found in animals active at night.
1. Personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
2. The body of teachers and administrators at a school; SYN. faculty.
3. A strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose
4. A rod carried as a symbol.
ETYM Old Eng. sticke, as. sticca; akin to stician to stab, prick, pierce, German stecken a stick, staff, Old High Germ. steccho, Icel. stik a stick. Related to Stick.
1. A small thin branch of a tree.
2. A length of wood.
3. A lever used by a pilot to control the ailerons and elevators of an airplane; SYN. control stick, joystick.
4. Threat of a penalty.