Etymograph

English

flatrod

From flat + rod.

A compound of flat + rod

Proto-Germanic *flataz ‘flat’

Old Norse flatr ‘flat, level’

Middle English flat ‘level’

English flat

Middle English rodde ‘As a staff or wand’

English rod

Today it means

noun A hinged rod used to transfer a water wheel's mechanical movement over short distances.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / flatrod