Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ROCK'-AL-UM, n.

The purest kind of alum. [See Rochealum.]

ROCK'-BA-SIN, n.

A cavity or artificial basin cut in a rock for the purpose, as is supposed, of collecting the dew or rain for ablutions and purifications prescribed by the druidical religion. – Grosier. Encyc.

ROCK'-BUT-TER, n.

A supposed subsulphite of alumin, oozing from aluminous rocks. – Cyc.

ROCK'-CROWN-ED, a.

Crowned with rocks.

ROCK-CRYS'TAL, n.

Limpid quartz. When purest it is white or colorless, but it is found of a grayish or yellowish white, pale yellow or citrine. Its most usual form is that of hexagonal prisms, surmounted by hexagonal pyramids. – Kirwan. Cleaveland.

ROCK'DOE, n.

A species of deer. – Grew.

ROCK'ED, pp. [from rock, the verb.]

Moved one way and the other.

ROCK'ER, n.

One who rocks the cradle; also, the curving piece of wood on which a cradle or chair rocks.

ROCK'ET, n.¹ [Dan. raket, rakette, a rocket, cracker or squib; G. rackete; probably from the root of crack and racket, Fr. craquer, craqueter.]

An artificial firework, consisting of a cylindrical case of paper, filled with a composition of combustible ingredients, as niter, charcoal and sulphur. This being tied to a stick and fired, ascends into the air and bursts. – Encyc.

ROCK'ET, n.² [L. eruca.]

A plant of the genus Brassica. There is also the bastard rocket, of the genus Reseda; the corn rocket and the sea rocket, of the genus Bunias; the marsh rocket, the water rocket, and the winter rocket, of the genus Sisymbrium; and the dame's violet rocket, of the genus Hesperis. – Fam. of Plants.

ROCK'-FISH, n.

A species of Gobius.

ROCK'I-NESS, n. [from rocky.]

State of abounding with rocks.

ROCK'ING, ppr.

Moving backward and forward.

ROCK'LESS, a.

Being without rocks. – Dryden.

ROCK'-OIL, n.

Another name for petrol or petroleum.

ROCK'-PIG-EON, n.

A pigeon that builds her nest on a rock. – Mortimer.

ROCK'-ROOF-ED, a.

Having a roof of rock.

ROCK'-ROSE, n.

A plant of the genus Cistus, or Helianthemum.

ROCK-RU'BY, n.

A name sometimes given to the garnet when it is of a strong, but not a deep red, and has a cast of blue. – Hill.

ROCK'-SALT, n.

Fossil or mineral salt; salt dug from the earth; chlorid of sodium. But in America, this name is sometimes given to salt that comes in large crystals from the West Indies, which salt is formed by evaporation fro sea water, in large basins or cavities, on the isles. Hexahedral rock-salt occurs foliated and fibrous. – Ure.

ROCK'-WOOD, n.

Ligniform asbestus. – Cyc.

ROCK'-WORK, n.

1. Stones fixed in mortar in imitation of the asperities of rocks, forming a wall.
2. A natural wall of rock. – Addison.

ROCK'Y, a. [from rock.]

1. Full of rocks; as, a rocky mountain; a rocky shore.
2. Resembling a rock; as, the rocky orb of a shield. – Milton.
3. Very hard; stony; obdurate; insusceptible of impression; as, a rocky bosom. Shak.

RO'COA, n. [A corruption of Urucu.]

A colored pulpy substance within the legume, and surrounding the seeds of the Bixa Orellana. In its purified state it is called anotto.

ROD, n. [Sax. rod; Dan. rode; D. roede, roe; G. ruthe and reis. In Danish, rod is a root; and I suppose rod, root, L. radius, ray, radix, root, and Dan. and Sw. rad, to be of one family. The sense is a shoot, from extending. The Russ. prut, a rod, is probably the same word with a prefix.]

1. The shoot or long twig of any woody plant; a branch, or the stem of a shrub; as, a rod of hazel, of birch, of oak or hickory. Hence,
2. An instrument of punishment or correction; chastisement. I will chasten him with the rod of men. – 2 Sam. vii. Prov. x.
3. Discipline; ecclesiastical censures. – 1 Cor. iv.
4. A kind of scepter. The rod and bird of peace. – Shak.
5. A pole for angling; something long and slender. – Gay.
6. An instrument for measuring; but more generally, a measure of length containing five yards, or sixteen feet and a half; a pole; a perch. In many parts of the United States, rod is universally used for pole or perch.
7. In Scripture, a staff or wand. – 1 Sam. xiv.
8. Support. Thy rod and thy staff; they comfort me. – Ps. xxiii.
9. A shepherd's crook. – Lev. xxvii.
10. An instrument for threshing. – Is. xxviii.
11. Power; authority. – Ps. cxxv.
12. A tribe or race. – Ps. lxxiv. Rod of iron, the mighty power of Christ. – Rev. xix. Ps. ii.