Pad
/pæd/noun
A soft cushion, a block of paper, or a flat surface for walking or landing.
Did you know?The “pad” in a notepad and the “pad” under your foot are historically separate words that converged in modern English, so one spelling hides two different etymological lives.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
pæd
“a path or track”
Middle English
ME
padde
“a path, track, or beaten way”
16th Century
English
pad
“a soft cushion or stuffing”
18th Century
English
pad
“a block of sheets of paper bound together”
Modern English
English
pad
“a cushion, a writing block, or a flat surface for landing or movement”