a crucifix, esp. a large one at the entrance to the choir or chancel of a medieval church, often supported on a rood beam or rood screen.

Pronunciation:
ROOD

In a sentence:
As rude as he was in most cases, Larry the atheist stopped short of publicly mocking the rood at his local church; he knew that to do so would be disrespectful, and decided to spit on the Holy Cross in the privacy of his own backyard instead.

In a different sentence:
Always the Catholic class clown, Jim thought it would be funny to crucify himself on the rood and post pictures online; he was right, and even the town minister had a rollicking good time. 

Fact:
In the climactic scene of Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, the title character impaled her mother through her hands, feet and heart with knives, as though she were hanging on a rood.