# pad

> English word · Noun · IPA /pæd/ · frequency rank #7,039

## Definitions
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:
5. A soft area on the ends of a digit:
6. A soft area on the ends of a digit:
7. A stuffed guard or protection, especially one worn on the legs of horses to prevent bruising.
8. A soft bag or cushion to relieve pressure, support a part, etc.
9. A menstrual pad; a mass of absorbent material used to absorb menstrual flow.
10. A floating leaf of a water lily or similar plant.
11. A soft cover for a batsman's leg that protects the player from damage when hit by the ball.
12. 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.
13. A panel or strip of material designed to be sensitive to pressure or touch.
14. Ellipsis of keypad.
15. Ellipsis of mouse pad.
16. a tablet PC
17. A flat surface or area from which a helicopter or other aircraft may land or be launched.
18. An electrical extension cord with a multi-port socket on one end; a "trip cord".
19. The effect produced by sustained lower reed notes in a musical piece, most common in blues music.
20. A synthesizer instrument sound used for sustained background sounds.
21. A bed.
22. A small house, apartment, or mobile home occupied by a single person; such as a bachelor, playboy, etc.
23. A prison cell.
24. A random key (originally written on a disposable pad) of the same length as the plaintext.
25. The amount by which a signal has been reduced.
26. A piece of timber fixed on a beam to fit the curve of the deck.

## Etymology
1554, "bundle of straw to lie on". Unknown, and unclear all senses have common etymology. For sense "ends of a digit", cf. 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.

## Easily confused with
- **PM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pm)
- **PC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pc)
- **PP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pp)
- **PR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pr)
- **pt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pt)
- **PS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-ps)
- **po** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-po)
- **pi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pi)
- **PG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pg)
- **PL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pl)
- **PE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pe)
- **PD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pd)
- **PB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pb)
- **PF** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pf)
- **PU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pu)
- **PK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pk)
- **PV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pv)
- **PJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pj)
- **PW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-pw)
- **PX** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pad-vs-px)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/pad