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Added 7 October 2026

wad

/wɒd/ symbol

symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about wad at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

ISO 639-3 language code for Wandamen.

noun

An amorphous, compact mass.
Our cat loves to play with a small wad of paper.
A substantial pile (normally of money).
With a wad of cash like that, she should not have been walking round Manhattan.
A soft plug or seal, particularly as used between the powder and pellets in a shotgun cartridge, or earlier on the charge of a muzzleloader or cannon.

verb

To crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball.
She wadded up the scrap of paper and threw it in the trash.
To wager.
To insert or force a wad into.
to wad a gun

noun

Plumbago, graphite.
Any black manganese oxide or hydroxide mineral rich rock in the oxidized zone of various ore deposits.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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