n. [ Perh. akin to pod. ] 1. A soft, or small, cushion; a mass of anything soft; stuffing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A kind of cushion for writing upon, or for blotting; esp., one formed of many flat sheets of writing paper, or layers of blotting paper; a block of paper. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A cushion used as a saddle without a tree or frame. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A stuffed guard or protection; esp., one worn on the legs of horses to prevent bruising. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Zool.) A cushionlike thickening of the skin one the under side of the toes of animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A floating leaf of a water lily or similar plant. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Med.) A soft bag or cushion to relieve pressure, support a part, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Naut.) A piece of timber fixed on a beam to fit the curve of the deck. W. C. Russel. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. A measure for fish; as, sixty mackerel go to a pad; a basket of soles. [ Eng. ] Simmonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. A dwelling place, usually an apartment; one's living quarters; as, come over to my pad to watch the game. [ Slang ] [ PJC ]

11. A sum of money paid as a bribe to police officers, shared among them; also, the list of such officers receiving such a bribe. [ PJC ]

Pad cloth, a saddlecloth; a housing. --
Pad saddle. See def. 3, above. --
Pad tree (Harness Making), a piece of wood or metal which gives rigidity and shape to a harness pad. Knight. --
on the pad, receiving bribes; -- of police officers. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To travel heavily or slowly. Bunyan. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To rob on foot. [ Obs. ] Cotton Mather. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To wear a path by walking. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Padded; p. pr. & vb. n. Padding. ] 1. To stuff; to furnish with a pad or padding. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Calico Printing) To imbue uniformly with a mordant; as, to pad cloth. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To travel upon foot; to tread. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Padding the streets for half a crown. Somerville. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ D. pad. √21. See Path. ] 1. A footpath; a road. [ Obs. or Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An easy-paced horse; a padnag. Addison [ 1913 Webster ]

An abbot on an ambling pad. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A robber that infests the road on foot; a highwayman; -- usually called a footpad. Gay. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The act of robbing on the highway. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Etymol. uncertain. ] Groats; coarse flour or meal. [ Obs. ] Sir. H. Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. Same as cushioned, 1.
Syn. -- cushioned, cushiony. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. One who, or that which, pads. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A highwayman; a footpad. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act or process of making a pad or of inserting stuffing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The material with which anything is padded. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Material of inferior value, serving to extend a book, essay, etc. London Sat. Rev. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Calico Printing) The uniform impregnation of cloth with a mordant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Paddle, v. i. ] 1. An implement with a broad blade, which is used without a fixed fulcrum in propelling and steering canoes and boats. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The broad part of a paddle, with which the stroke is made; hence, any short, broad blade, resembling that of a paddle, such as that used in table tennis. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon. Deut. xxiii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One of the broad boards, or floats, at the circumference of a water wheel, or paddle wheel. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A small gate in sluices or lock gates to admit or let off water; -- also called clough. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Zool.) A paddle-shaped foot, as of the sea turtle. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A paddle-shaped implement for stirring or mixing. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. [ In this sense prob. for older spaddle, a dim. of spade. ] See Paddle staff (b), below. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Paddle beam (Shipbuilding), one of two large timbers supporting the spring beam and paddle box of a steam vessel. --
Paddle board. See Paddle, n., 3. --
Paddle shaft, the revolving shaft which carries the paddle wheel of a steam vessel. --
Paddle staff. (a) A staff tipped with a broad blade, used by mole catchers. [ Prov. Eng. ] (b) A long-handled spade used to clean a plowshare; -- called also plow staff. [ Prov. Eng. ] --
Paddle steamer, a steam vessel propelled by paddle wheels, in distinction from a screw propeller. --
Paddle wheel, the propelling wheel of a steam vessel, having paddles (or floats) on its circumference, and revolving in a vertical plane parallel to the vessel's length. [ 1913 Webster ]