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pod¹

(pŏd)

1. Botany

a. A dehiscent fruit of a leguminous plant such as the pea, splitting along two sides.

b. A dry, several-seeded, dehiscent fruit. Also called seedpod.

2. Zoology An egg case of certain insects, especially a locust or other orthopteran.

3. Geology An deposit of rock or sediment that is much longer than it is wide.

4. A casing or housing forming part of a vehicle, as:

a. A streamlined external housing that encloses engines, machine guns, or fuel.

b. A detachable compartment on a spacecraft for carrying personnel or instrumentation.

5. Something resembling a pod, as in compactness.

v. pod·ded, pod·ding, pods

v.intr.

1. To bear or produce pods.

2. To expand or swell like a pod.

v.tr.

To remove (seeds) from a pod.

[Origin unknown.]

pod²

(pŏd)

A group of marine mammals, such as whales, or of certain other animals, such as hippopotamuses.

[Origin unknown.]

pod³

(pŏd)

1. The lengthwise groove in certain boring tools such as augers.

2. The socket for holding the bit in a boring tool.

[Origin unknown.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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