prod

See also: prod., Prod, Prod., and prod-

English

Etymology 1

Alteration of earlier brod (perhaps through influence of poke; compare prog), from Middle English brodden (“to goad, incite, urge; to sprout”), from brod (“goad, nail; shoot, sprout”), from Old Norse broddr (“shaft, spike, thorn”), from Proto-Germanic *bruzdaz. Cognate with Icelandic broddur, Danish brod. Doublet of brad. Or, from or influenced by sound symbolism.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɹɒd/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /pɹɑd/
• Rhymes: -ɒd

Verb

prod (third-person singular simple present prods, present participle prodding, simple past and past participle prodded)

1. (transitive) To poke, to push, to touch.
2. (transitive, informal) To encourage, to prompt.
   • 2012 January, Michael Riordan, “Tackling Infinity”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 30 April 2013, page 86:

     Some of the most beautiful and thus appealing physical theories, including quantum electrodynamics and quantum gravity, have been dogged for decades by infinities that erupt when theorists try to prod their calculations into new domains. Getting rid of these nagging infinities has probably occupied far more effort than was spent in originating the theories.

3. (transitive) To prick with a goad.

Translations

to poke

• Bulgarian: бодвам (bg) (bodvam), муша (bg) (muša)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 刺 (zh) (cì), 戳 (zh) (chuō), 捅 (zh) (tǒng)

• Dutch: duwen (nl), porren (nl)
• Esperanto: palpi (eo)
• French: pousser (fr), tâter (fr)
• German: stoßen (de), anstupsen (de)
• Greek: σκουντώ (el) (skountó)

  Ancient Greek: σκουντάω (skountáō)

• Italian: pungolare (it), spronare (it)
• Japanese: 突く (ja) (つく, tsuku), 突き刺す (つきさす, tsukisasu)
• Latin: pungo
• Norwegian: stikke (no)
• Portuguese: cutucar (pt)
• Russian: ты́кать (ru) (týkatʹ), коло́ть (ru) (kolótʹ), толка́ть (ru) (tolkátʹ) (push)
• Scottish Gaelic: stob
• Swedish: sticka (sv)
• Ukrainian: штрикати (štrykaty), колоти (koloty)

to encourage

• Bulgarian: подтиквам (bg) (podtikvam), подстрекавам (bg) (podstrekavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 促使 (zh) (cùshǐ), 激勵／激励 (zh) (jīlì)

• Dutch: aanmoedigen (nl)
• French: encourager (fr)
• German: anspornen (de), ermutigen (de)
• Italian: incoraggiare (it), stimolare (it)
• Portuguese: aguilhoar (pt)
• Russian: побужда́ть (ru) (pobuždátʹ), подгоня́ть (ru) (podgonjátʹ), подстрека́ть (ru) (podstrekátʹ) (esp. to evil or wickedness)
• Spanish: aguijar (es)
• Tocharian B: wārw-
• Ukrainian: підштовхувати (pidštovxuvaty), підганяти (pidhanjaty)

to prick with a goad

• Bulgarian: мушкам (bg) (muškam)
• German: anstacheln (de), antreiben (de)
• Spanish: aguijar (es), aguijonear (es)
• Ukrainian: штрикати (štrykaty)

Noun

prod (plural prods)

1. A device (now often electrical) used to goad livestock into moving.
2. A prick or stab with such a pointed instrument.
3. A poke.

   "It's your turn," she reminded me, giving me a prod on the shoulder.

4. A light kind of crossbow; a prodd.
   • 1983, Popular Mechanics:

     The 125-pound prod (bow) drives bolt at 250 feet per second.

Derived terms

• cattle prod
• on the prod
• stock prod

 

Translations

device used to goad livestock into moving

• Bulgarian: остен (bg) m (osten)
• Finnish: piiska (fi); sähköpiiska (electric)
• German: Stachelstock m, Treibestock m
• Italian: picca (it) f
• Ottoman Turkish: اوكندره (üğendire, üvendire)
• Spanish: aguijada (es) f, picana (es) f, garrocha (es) f
• Swedish: elfösare c (electric), fösare c (as suffix: -fösare, prefixed with determiner; of vb. fösa, "to drive")

Further reading

• Cattle prod on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Shortened from production.

Noun

prod (countable and uncountable, plural prods)

1. (programming, slang, uncountable) Short for production (“the live environment”).

   We've hit ten million users in prod today.

2. (demoscene, slang, countable) A production; a created work.

   Check our BBS for the latest prods.

Etymology 3

Noun

prod (plural prods)

1. (Ireland, UK, slang, sometimes derogatory) Alternative letter-case form of Prod.

Anagrams

• dorp, drop

Old French

Noun

prod oblique singular, m (nominative singular proz)

1. (early Old French) Alternative form of pro

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *prǭdъ.

Noun

prọ̑d m inan

1. pebbles (small stones rounded by the action of water)

Further reading

• “prod”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran