pad

pad¹

/pad/, n., v., padded, padding.

n.

1. a cushionlike mass of soft material used for comfort, protection, or stuffing.

2. a soft, stuffed cushion used as a saddle; a padded leather saddle without a tree.

3. a number of sheets of paper glued or otherwise held together at one edge to form a tablet.

4. a soft, ink-soaked block of absorbent material for inking a rubber stamp.

5. Anat., Zool. any fleshy mass of tissue that cushions a weight-bearing part of the body, as on the underside of a paw. See diag. under dog.

6. the foot, as of a fox, hare, or wolf.

7. a piece or fold of gauze or other absorbent material for use as a surgical dressing or a protective covering.

8. Zool. a pulvillus, as on the tarsus or foot of an insect.

9. a lily pad.

10. Rocketry. See launch pad.

11. Slang.

a. one's living quarters, as an apartment or room.

b. one's bed.

c. a room where people gather to take narcotics; an addicts' den.

12. Slang.

a. money paid as a bribe to and shared among police officers, as for ignoring law violations.

b. a list of police officers receiving such money.

13. Elect. a nonadjustable attenuator consisting of a network of fixed resistors.

14. Shipbuilding.

a. a metal plate riveted or welded to a surface as a base or attachment for bolts, hooks, eyes, etc.

b. a piece of wood laid on the back of a deck beam to give the deck surface a desired amount of camber.

15. Carpentry.

a. a handle for holding various small, interchangeable saw blades.

b. Also, pod. a socket in a brace for a bit.

16. Metall. a raised surface on a casting.

17. a small deposit of weld metal, as for building up a worn surface.

18. on the pad, Slang. (of a police officer) receiving a bribe, esp. on a regular basis.

v.t.

19. to furnish, protect, fill out, or stuff with a pad or padding.

20. to expand or add to unnecessarily or dishonestly: to pad a speech; to pad an expense account.

21. Metall. to add metal to (a casting) above its required dimensions, to insure the flow of enough metal to all parts.

v.i.

22. to insure the proper forging of a piece.

[1545-55; orig. special uses of obs. pad bundle to lie on, perh. b. PACK¹ and BED]

pad²

/pad/, n., v., padded, padding.

n.

1. a dull, muffled sound, as of footsteps on the ground.

2. a road horse, as distinguished from a hunting or working horse.

3. a highwayman.

4. Brit. Dial. a path, lane, or road.

v.t.

5. to travel along on foot.

6. to beat down by treading.

v.i.

7. to travel on foot; walk.

8. to walk so that one's footsteps make a dull, muffled sound.

[1545-55; (n.) < MD or LG pad PATH (orig. argot; hence, appar., "highwayman" and "horse"); (v.) < MD padden to make or follow a path, c. OE paeththan to traverse, deriv. of paeth PATH; defs. 1, 8 perh. represent an independent expressive word that has been influenced by other senses]

* * *