pad

Etymology 1

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.

noun

1. A flattened mass of anything soft, to sit or lie on.
2. A cushion used as a saddle without a tree or frame.
3. A soft, or small, cushion.
4. A soft area on the ends of a digit:
   1. A cushion-like thickening of the skin on the under side of the toes of animals.
   2. The mostly hairless flesh located on the bottom of an animal's foot or paw.
   3. Any cushion-like part of the human body, especially the ends of the fingers.
      Collie ignored him. Reached the finger further. Closer. And closer yet, until — […] Collie yanked his hand back and peered at it like a kid with an interesting new scrape. Then he turned to Steve and held it out. A bead of blood, small and dark and perfect, was forming on the pad of his index finger. 1996, Stephen King, The Regulators
5. A stuffed guard or protection, especially one worn on the legs of horses to prevent bruising.
6. A soft bag or cushion to relieve pressure, support a part, etc.
7. A menstrual pad; a mass of absorbent material used to absorb menstrual flow.
8. (US) A floating leaf of a water lily or similar plant.
9. (cricket) A soft cover for a batsman's leg that protects the player from damage when hit by the ball.
10. 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.
11. A panel or strip of material designed to be sensitive to pressure or touch.
12. Ellipsis of keypad.
13. Ellipsis of mouse pad.
14. A flat surface or area from which a helicopter or other aircraft may land or be launched.
15. An electrical extension cord with a multi-port socket on one end; a "trip cord".
16. The effect produced by sustained lower reed notes in a musical piece, most common in blues music.
17. (music) A synthesizer instrument sound used for sustained background sounds.
18. (US, slang) A bed.
19. (colloquial) A small house, apartment, or mobile home occupied by a single person; such as a bachelor, playboy, etc.
20. (UK, slang) A prison cell.
21. (cryptography) A random key (originally written on a disposable pad) of the same length as the plaintext.
22. (electronics) The amount by which a signal has been reduced.
    It is a general practice to pad down a condenser mike with as much as a 20-30 dB pad. 1967, Db: The Sound Engineering Magazine - Volumes 1-2
23. (nautical) A piece of timber fixed on a beam to fit the curve of the deck.
    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. 1875, William Clark Russell, Jilted – Or My Uncle's Scheme

verb

1. (transitive) To stuff.
2. (transitive) To furnish with a pad or padding.
3. (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.
   pad one's expenses
   Obama pads delegate lead […] with win in key western state. May 21, 2008, Austin American-Statesman
4. (transitive) To imbue uniformly with a mordant.
   to pad cloth
5. (transitive, cricket) To deliberately play the ball with the leg pad instead of the bat.

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.

noun

1. (Britain, dialectal) A toad.

Etymology 3

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

noun

1. (Britain, dialectal, Australia, Ireland) A footpath, particularly one unformed or unmaintained; a road or track.
2. An easy-paced horse; a padnag.
3. (Britain, obsolete) A robber who infests the road on foot; a highwayman or footpad.
   A Pad came pacing down the way : / The Cur, with never-ceasing tongue , / Upon the passing trav'ler sprung 1720, John Gay, “Fables”, in Poems on Several Occasions
4. (Britain, obsolete) A tramp or itinerant musician.

Etymology 4

Perhaps an alteration of ped.

noun

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

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

1. (transitive) To travel along (a road, path etc.).
   Padding the streets for half a crown. 1727, William Somervile, The Fortune Hunter
2. (intransitive) To travel on foot.
3. (intransitive) To wear a path by walking.
   Who were the strugglers, what war did they wage, / Whose savage trample thus could pad the dank / Soil to a plash? … 1855, Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, section XXII
4. (intransitive) To walk softly, quietly or steadily, especially without shoes.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To practise highway robbery.
   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. 1689, Cotton Mather, Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions

Etymology 6

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

intj

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

noun

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