wad
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a small, soft mass of material like paper, cotton, or cloth.
n.a small, compact mass of soft or flexible material.
Simple“He cleaned his glasses with a small wad of cotton.”
In context“The child had stuffed a wad of wet paper into the keyhole, making it impossible to insert the key.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a disk of material used in a gun to keep the powder and shot in place.
n.a plug of cloth, paper, or plastic used to seal the powder and shot in a firearm cartridge.
Simple“The investigator found a plastic wad from a shotgun shell at the scene.”
In context“Modern shotgun cartridges utilize a plastic wad to protect the pellets and ensure a consistent spread upon firing.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to fold or press something into a small, tight ball.
v.to compress or crumple material into a compact, amorphous shape.
Simple“She wadded up the letter and threw it in the bin.”
In context“He wadded his damp towel into a ball and shoved it into the bottom of his gym bag.”
“You don’t need to carry around a wad of second-class stamps.”
Probably short for Middle English wadmal (“woolen cloth”), from Old Norse váðmál (“woolen stuff”), from váð (“cloth”) + mál (“measure”). See wadmal. Cognate with Swedish vadd (“wadding, cotton wool”), German Wat, Watte (“wad, padding, cotton wool”), Dutch lijnwaad, gewaad, watten (“cotton wool”), West Frisian waad, Old English wǣd (“garment, clothing”) (English: weed). More at weed, meal.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.