Black Rod
Americannoun
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(in England) an official of the Order of the Garter and chief ceremonial usher of the House of Lords: so called from the rod carried as the symbol of office.
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a similar official in British colonial and Commonwealth legislatures.
noun
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(in Britain) an officer of the House of Lords and of the Order of the Garter, whose main duty is summoning the Commons at the opening and proroguing of Parliament
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a similar officer in any of certain other legislatures
Etymology
Origin of Black Rod
First recorded in 1625–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A parliamentary official known as Black Rod will have the door of the lower chamber House of Commons slammed in their face, a tradition that symbolises parliament's independence from the monarchy.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
The refusal to let Black Rod enter at the first knock is widely believed to symbolise the Commons' independence from the Crown.
From BBC • Jul. 16, 2024
Who is Black Rod and what do they do in Parliament?
From BBC • Jul. 16, 2024
Black Rod also plays a key role in the selection of the House of Commons Speaker.
From BBC • Jul. 16, 2024
The Usher of the Black Rod, whose business it was to declare the House adjourned, had already appeared in the ante-room; but the doors of the hall were shut.
From A History of England Principally in the Seventeenth Century, Volume I (of 6) by Ranke, Leopold von
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
