pad

See also: Pad, pað, pád, and pAD

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pæd/
Audio (AU) (file)
Hyphenation: pad
Rhymes: -æd

Etymology 1

Illustrated set of instructions explaining a chair "with a tufted pad" (sense 1)

A modern-style English-saddle square pad (sense 2) on a horse

Right front paw of a dog showing: A) claw, B) digital pads, C) metacarpal pad, D) dewclaw, E) carpal pad (senses 4, 5)

An elbow pad (sense 7) worn for protection when roller skating

Pads (sense 10) of water lilies floating on a pond

Pads (sense 11) used for wicketkeeping and batting in cricket

A yellow legal pad (sense 12) with a pencil

A vehicle at a pad (sense 15)

1554, "bundle of straw to lie on", probably from Low German or West Flemish pad (“sole of the foot”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pent- (“to pass”), which would make it related to both path and find.[1]

Noun

pad (plural pads)

A flattened mass of anything soft, to sit or lie on.
A cushion used as a saddle without a tree or frame.
A soft, or small, cushion.
A cushion-like thickening of the skin on the under side of the toes of animals.
The mostly hairless flesh located on the bottom of an animal's foot or paw.
Any cushion-like part of the human body, especially the ends of the fingers.
A stuffed guard or protection, especially one worn on the legs of horses to prevent bruising.
A soft bag or cushion to relieve pressure, support a part, etc.
Ellipsis of menstrual. or sanitary pad: a mass of absorbent material used to absorb menstrual flow.
(US) A floating leaf of a water lily or similar plant.
(cricket) A soft cover for a batsman's leg that protects it from damage when hit by the ball.
A kind of cushion for writing upon, or for blotting, especially one formed of many flat sheets of writing paper; now especially such a block of paper sheets as used to write on.
A panel or strip of material designed to be sensitive to pressure or touch.
Ellipsis of keypad.: a small keyboard, a keyed device for entering tactile inputs into a machine.
A flat surface or area from which a helicopter or other aircraft may land or be launched.
An electrical extension cord with a multi-port socket on one end: "trip cord"
The effect produced by sustained lower reed notes in a musical piece, most common in blues music.
A synthesizer instrument sound used for sustained background sounds.
Synonym: synth pad
(US, slang) A bed.
(colloquial) A small house, apartment, or mobile home occupied by a single person; such as a bachelor, playboy, etc.
(UK, slang) A prison cell.
(cryptography) A random key (originally written on a disposable pad) of the same length as the plaintext.
Ellipsis of mousepad.: a firm but soft mass used for computer mice.
(electronics) The amount by which a signal has been reduced.
- 1967, Db: The Sound Engineering Magazine - Volumes 1-2:
  It is a general practice to pad down a condenser mike with as much as a 20-30 dB pad.
(nautical) A piece of timber fixed on a beam to fit the curve of the deck.
- 1875, William Clark Russell, Jilted – Or My Uncle's Scheme
  let us at least trust that the hair-pins will do their duty, and maintain the respectability of passion by holding the pads and puffs and frizettes in their proper places.

Hyponyms

gamepad
headpad
incontinence pad
joypad
keypad
launchpad
mousepad
notepad
one-time pad
pawpad
scratchpad
sleeping pad
touchpad
trackpad

Derived terms

gamepad
joypad
keypad
launchpad
mousepad
notepad
touchpad
trackpad

Related terms

synth pad

Translations

flattened mass of anything soft

Bulgarian: подложка (bg) (podložka)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 墊／垫 (zh) (diàn), 墊子／垫子 (zh) (diànzi)
Finnish: pehmuste (fi), tyyny (fi)
French: tampon (fr) m, coussinet (fr) m, coussinette (fr) f
German: Unterlage (de) f, Polster (de) n
Japanese: パッド (paddo)
Norwegian: pute (no) m or f
Russian: подкла́дка (ru) f (podkládka), прокла́дка (ru) f (prokládka), поду́шечка (ru) f (podúšečka), подкла́дка (ru) f (podkládka)
Spanish: almohadilla (es) f
Swedish: sittunderlag n

cushion used as saddle

Finnish: tyynysatula
French: coussinet (fr) m

soft or small cushion

Bulgarian: възглавничка за диван (vǎzglavnička za divan)
Finnish: tyyny (fi)
French: coussinette (fr) f
Greek:
Ancient: στοιβή f (stoibḗ)
Maori: paretua
Norwegian: pute (no) m or f
Russian: поду́шечка (ru) f (podúšečka)
Spanish: almohadilla (es) f
Swedish: dyna (sv)

cushion-like thickening of the skin on the underside of the toes of animals

Chinese:
Mandarin: 肉墊／肉垫 (ròudiàn), 爪墊／爪垫 (zhuǎdiàn)
Finnish: antura (fi), polkuantura (fi)
French: coussinet (fr)
Japanese: 肉球 (nikukyū)
Swedish: trampdyna c

animal's foot or paw

Albanian: mallth (sq)
Bulgarian: възглавничка на животинска лапа f (vǎzglavnička na životinska lapa)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 肉墊／肉垫 (ròudiàn)
Finnish: tassu (fi), käpälä (fi)
French: coussinet (fr) m
Swedish: tass (sv) c

any cushion-like part of human body

Finnish: sormenpää (fi), tyyny (fi)

stuffed guard or protection

Finnish: pehmuste (fi)
Maori: whakapuru, paretua (to protect the back), aupuru

soft bag or cushion

Finnish: antura (fi), tyyny (fi)
Italian: cercine (it) m, torsello (it) m
Maori: paretua

floating leaf of a water plant

Bulgarian: плаващо листо (plavašto listo)
Finnish: kelluslehti

cricket: batsman's leg pad

Finnish: pehmuste (fi)

block of paper

Finnish: lehtiö (fi)
French: bloc (fr)
Italian: blocco (it)
Norwegian: blokk (no) m or f
Polish: blok (pl) m
Portuguese: bloco (pt)
Spanish: bloc (es) m
Swedish: block (sv) n

panel or strip of material sensitive to pressure or touch

Finnish: levy (fi), painike (fi)

keypad

Finnish: näppäimistö (fi)
French: pavé numérique (fr) m, clavier (fr) m (de téléphone)

flat surface or area from which a helicopter or other aircraft may land or be launched

Finnish: kenttä (fi)
Swedish: helikopterlandningsplats c, landningsplats c

electrical extension cord with a multi-port socket

Finnish: jatkojohto (fi)

music: effect produced by sustained lower reed notes

Finnish: matto (fi)

slang: bed

Finnish: punkka (fi)
French: pieu (fr) m, plumard (fr) m, plume (fr) m, paddock (fr) m
Swedish: binge (sv) c

colloquial: place of residence

Danish: hybel
Finnish: luukku (fi)
French: piaule (fr) f, taule (fr) f
Hungarian: kéró (hu), kecó
Norwegian: hjem (no) n
Russian: жилье (ru) n (žilʹje), жилище (ru) n (žilišče)
Swedish: lya (sv) c, krypin (sv) n, kvart (sv) n

Verb

pad (third-person singular simple present pads, present participle padding, simple past and past participle padded)

(transitive) To stuff.
(transitive) To furnish with a pad or padding.
(transitive) To increase the size of, especially by adding undesirable filler.
The author began to pad her succinct stories with trite descriptions to keep up with current market trends.

2008 May 21, Austin American-Statesman:
"Obama pads delegate lead […] with win in key western state."
pad one's expenses
(transitive) To imbue uniformly with a mordant.
to pad cloth
(transitive, cricket) To deliberately play the ball with the leg pad instead of the bat.

Derived terms

well-padded

Translations

to stuff — see stuff

to furnish with a pad or padding

Finnish: pehmustaa (fi), topata (fi)
French: rembourrer (fr)
Maori: whakapuru

figuratively: to fill or lengthen

Finnish: suurennella (fi), paisutella (fi), paikata (fi)

to imbue uniformly with a mordant

Finnish: läpivärjätä

Etymology 2

From Middle English pade, padde, from Old English padde, from Proto-Germanic *paddǭ (“toad”). Cognate with Dutch pad, German Low German Pad (“toad”), dialectal German Padde, Danish padde, Swedish padda, Icelandic padda (“toad”), and possibly to English paddle.

Alternative forms

padde

Noun

pad (plural pads)

(Britain, dialectal) A toad.

Derived terms

paddock
padstool
shelpad

Etymology 3

From Dutch pad or Middle Low German pat (“path”). Doublet of path.

Noun

pad (plural pads)

(Britain, dialectal, Australia, Ireland) A footpath, particularly one unformed or unmaintained; a road or track.
An easy-paced horse; a padnag.
- 1832 December (indicated as 1833), Alfred Tennyson, “The Lady of Shalott”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 3944791, part the second, page 11:
  Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, / An abbot on an ambling pad, / Sometimes a curly shepherd lad, / Or long-hair'd page, in crimson clad, / Goes by to Camelot.
(Britain, obsolete) A robber who infests the road on foot; a highwayman or footpad.
- 1720, John Gay, "Fables", in Poems on Several Occasions
  A Pad came pacing down the way : / The Cur, with never-ceasing tongue , / Upon the passing trav'ler sprung
- 1819–1824, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London, (please specify |canto=I to XVII):
  These free-born sounds proceeded from four pads / In ambush laid, who had perceived him loiter / Behind his carriage; and, like handy lads, / Had seized the lucky hour to reconnoitre
(Britain, obsolete) A tramp or itinerant musician.

Derived terms

footpad
on the pad
stand pad

Etymology 4

Perhaps an alteration of ped.

Noun

pad (plural pads)

(Britain, dialectal) A type of wickerwork basket, especially as used as a measure of fish or other goods[2].

Etymology 5

Probably partly from Middle Low German [Term?], partly imitative. Some senses possibly influenced by pad (“soft part of an animal's foot”, noun).

Verb

pad (third-person singular simple present pads, present participle padding, simple past and past participle padded)

(transitive) To travel along (a road, path etc.).
- 1727, William Somervile, The Fortune Hunter
  Padding the streets for half a crown.
(intransitive) To travel on foot.
(intransitive) To wear a path by walking.
- 1855, Robert Browning, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, XXII
  Who were the strugglers, what war did they wage, / Whose savage trample thus could pad the dank / Soil to a plash? [...]
(intransitive) To walk softly, quietly or steadily, especially without shoes.
- 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit:
  Their feet padded softly on the ground, and they crept quite close to him, twitching their noses, while the Rabbit stared hard to see which side the clockwork stuck out...
(intransitive, obsolete) To practise highway robbery.
- 1689, Cotton Mather, Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions
  Their chief Argument is, That they never saw any Witches, therefore there are none. Just as if you or I should say, We never met with any Robbers on the Road, therefore there never was any Padding there.

Derived terms

high pad
padding

Translations

to travel along sthg

Finnish: kulkea (jotakin) pitkin

to travel on foot

Finnish: tallata (fi)

to wear a path by walking

Finnish: tallata (fi)

to walk softly, quietly or steadily

Finnish: tassutella (fi)
German: tappen (de)
Swedish: tassa (sv)

Etymology 6

Probably imitative, perhaps related to or influenced by Etymology 5, above.

Interjection

pad

Indicating a soft flat sound, as of bare footsteps.
I heard her soft footsteps, pad, pad along the corridor.

Translations

indicating soft footsteps

Finnish: tassun, tissun-tassun
Swedish: tass (sv)

Noun

pad (plural pads)

The sound of soft footsteps, or a similar noise made by an animal etc.

Translations

sound of soft footsteps

Finnish: tassutus
Swedish: tassande (sv) c

Derived terms

padless

References

Pad on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “pad”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
1858, Peter Lund Simmonds, The Dictionary of Trade Products

Anagrams

ADP, APD, DPA, PDA, dap

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch pad.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [pɑt]
Audio (file)

Noun

pad (plural paaie, diminutive paadjie)

path; way; street

Dutch

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pɑt/
audio (file)
Hyphenation: pad
Rhymes: -ɑt

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch pat, from Old Dutch path, from Proto-West Germanic *paþ, from Proto-Germanic *paþaz (“path”). Cognate with English path, West Frisian paad and German Pfad.

Noun

pad n (plural paden, diminutive paadje n)

path (narrow road, usually unpaved)

Derived terms

bergpad
bospad
duinpad
fietspad
gangpad
grindpad
hazenpad
kerkpad
kiezelpad
modderpad
olifantenpad
padvinder
ruiterpad
schelpenpad
tuinpad
voetpad
wandelpad
zandpad
zijpad

Descendants

Afrikaans: pad
Berbice Creole Dutch: pata
Jersey Dutch: pât, pāt
Negerhollands: pad, pat

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch padde, pedde, from Old Dutch *padda, from Proto-West Germanic *paddā, from Proto-Germanic *paddǭ (“toad”).

Cognates

Cognate with Old English padde (compare English paddock), Old Norse padda (Swedish padda, Danish/Norwegian padde).

Noun

pad f (plural padden, diminutive padje n)

toad (an amphibian of the order Anura similar to a frog with shorter legs and more ragged skin)

Derived terms

bruine pad
donderpad
gewone pad
groene pad
knoflookpad
paddenstoel
paddentrek
reuzenpad
rugstreeppad
schildpad
Surinaamse pad
vuurbuikpad
vuurpad

Descendants

Afrikaans: padda

Noun

pad c (plural padden, diminutive padje n)

(cycling) The slot in the frame that accepts the axle of the wheel; dropout.

Hungarian

Etymology

From a Slavic language, compare Serbo-Croatian pod.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈpɒd]
Rhymes: -ɒd

Noun

pad (plural padok)

bench
(education) desk (of students in school, traditionally built together with the seats)
Synonym: iskolapad
(religion) pew (in a church)
(law) dock (of the defendant, in court), stand (of a witness, in court)
(dialectal) attic, loft
Synonym: padlás

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	pad	padok
accusative	padot	padokat
dative	padnak	padoknak
instrumental	paddal	padokkal
causal-final	padért	padokért
translative	paddá	padokká
terminative	padig	padokig
essive-formal	padként	padokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	padban	padokban
superessive	padon	padokon
adessive	padnál	padoknál
illative	padba	padokba
sublative	padra	padokra
allative	padhoz	padokhoz
elative	padból	padokból
delative	padról	padokról
ablative	padtól	padoktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	padé	padoké
non-attributive possessive - plural	padéi	padokéi

Possessive forms of pad
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	padom	padjaim
2nd person sing.	padod	padjaid
3rd person sing.	padja	padjai
1st person plural	padunk	padjaink
2nd person plural	padotok	padjaitok
3rd person plural	padjuk	padjaik

Derived terms

padocska
pados
padoz

Compound words

egérpad
futópad
kőpad
szájpad
színpad
ülőpad
zongorapad

Old English

Alternative forms

paad

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *paidu, from Proto-Germanic *paidō.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pɑːd/

Noun

pād f

an outer garment, coat, cloak

Declension

Declension of pad (strong ō-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	pād	pāda, pāde
accusative	pāde	pāda, pāde
genitive	pāde	pāda
dative	pāde	pādum

Descendants

>? Middle English: pod (attested in pod ware)
- English: pod

Polish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pat/
Audio (file)
Rhymes: -at
Syllabification: pad
Homophone: pat

Etymology 1

Deverbal from padać.

Noun

pad m inan

(sports) a quick fall with the whole body to the ground

Etymology 2

Clipping of gamepad.

Noun

pad m inan

(video games) gamepad
Synonyms: gamepad, joypad

Declension

Declension of pad

	singular	plural
nominative	pad	pady
genitive	padu	padów
dative	padowi	padom
accusative	pad	pady
instrumental	padem	padami
locative	padzie	padach
vocative	padzie	pady

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *padъ.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pâːd/

Noun

pȃd m (Cyrillic spelling па̑д)

fall

Declension

Declension of pad

	singular	plural
nominative	pȃd	pádovi
genitive	pada	padova
dative	padu	padovima
accusative	pad	padove
vocative	pade	padovi
locative	padu	padovima
instrumental	padom	padovima

Related terms

pȁsti

Sumerian

Romanization

pad

Romanization of 𒉻 (pad)

Tausug

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *palaj.

Noun

pād

the palm of the hand

Volapük

Noun

pad (nominative plural pads)

page

Declension

declension of pad

	singular	plural
nominative	pad	pads
genitive	pada	padas
dative	pade	pades
accusative	padi	padis
vocative ¹	o pad!	o pads!
predicative ²	padu	padus

¹ status as a case is disputed
² in later, non-classical Volapük only

[1] Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “pad”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

[2] 1858, Peter Lund Simmonds, The Dictionary of Trade Products

pad

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Noun

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Noun

Derived terms

Etymology 4

Noun

Etymology 5

Verb

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 6

Interjection

Translations

Noun

Translations

Derived terms

References

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

Etymology 2

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

Noun

Hungarian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Descendants

Polish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

Declension

Further reading

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Related terms

Sumerian

Romanization

Tausug

Etymology