Aaron's rod

noun

1

: any of several plants with tall flowering stems

especially : great mullein

2

: an architectural ornament consisting of a rounded molding decorated by a single entwined serpent and sometimes vines and leaves

Word History

Etymology

so called from the reference (Numbers 17:8) to the patriarch Aaron's rod, which blossomed and yielded almonds

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

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