Padlock
/ˈpæd.lɒk/noun
A lock with a U-shaped shackle that can be opened and closed by a key or combination.
Did you know?The first element, pad-, is probably from an obsolete word for a clasping or fastening device, so the word itself preserves an old idea of something that clamps shut rather than simply “locks.”
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
padlok
“a lock with a clasping fastening”
Middle English
English
pad-
“an obsolete or dialectal word for a fastening, clasp, or peg”
Middle Dutch
Dutch
pad
“a fastening or clasp (probable source of the first element)”
Old English
English
loc
“a lock, fastening, or enclosure”
Modern English
English
padlock
“a portable lock with a shackle”