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Pad vs Tab - What's the difference?

pad | tab |

As nouns the difference between pad and tab

is that pad is fall (move to a lower position) while tab is a key on computer keyboards.

pad

English

Etymology 1

1554, "bundle of straw to lie on", .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A flattened mass of anything soft, to sit or lie on.
  • A cushion used as a saddle without a tree or frame.
  • A soft, or small, cushion.
  • A cushion-like thickening of the skin on the under side of the toes of animals.
  • The mostly hairless flesh located on the bottom of an animal's foot or paw.
  • Any cushion-like part of the human body, especially the ends of the fingers.
  • A stuffed guard or protection, especially one worn on the legs of horses to prevent bruising.
  • A soft bag or cushion to relieve pressure, support a part, etc.
  • A sanitary napkin.
  • (US) A floating leaf of a water lily or similar plant.
  • (cricket) A soft cover for a batsman's leg that protects it from damage when hit by the ball.
  • A kind of cushion for writing upon, or for blotting, especially one formed of many flat sheets of writing paper; now especially such a block of paper sheets as used to write on.
  • A panel or strip of material designed to be sensitive to pressure or touch.
  • A keypad.
  • A flat surface or area from which a helicopter or other aircraft may land or be launched.
  • An electrical extension cord with a multi-port socket one end: "trip cord"
  • The effect produced by sustained lower reed notes in a musical piece, most common in blues music.
  • A synthesizer instrument sound used for sustained background sounds.
  • (US, slang) A bed.
  • (colloquial) A place of residence.
  • (cryptography) A random key (originally written on a disposable pad) of the same length as the plaintext.
  • A mousepad.
  • (nautical) A piece of timber fixed on a beam to fit the curve of the deck.
  • Derived terms
    {{der3, gamepad , incontinence pad , joypad , keypad , launchpad , mousepad , notepad , one-time pad , sleeping pad , touchpad , trackpad}}

    Verb

    (padd)
  • To stuff.
  • To furnish with a pad or padding.
  • To fill or lengthen (a story, one's importance, etc.).
  • The author began to pad her succinct stories with trite descriptions to keep up with current market trends.
    "Obama pads delegate lead ... with win in key western state."'' Austin American-Statesman ''newspaper, May 21, 2008.
  • To imbue uniformly with a mordant.
  • to pad cloth
  • (cricket) to deliberately play the ball with the leg pad instead of the bat.
  • Derived terms
    * well-padded

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) pade, padde, from (etyl) (m), from (etyl) , and possibly related to the (term)-like English paddle.

    Alternative forms

    *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (British, dialectal) A toad.
  • Derived terms
    * *

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (British, dialectal, Australia, Ireland) A footpath, particularly one unformed or unmaintained; a road or track. See footpad.
  • An easy-paced horse; a padnag.
  • * Tennyson
  • an abbot on an ambling pad
  • (British, obsolete) A robber that infests the road on foot; a highwayman or footpad.
  • (Gay)
    (Byron)
  • The act of highway robbery.
  • Etymology 4

    an alteration of (ped).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (British, dialectal) A type of wickerwork basket, especially as used as a measure of fish or other goods.
  • (Simmonds)

    Etymology 5

    partly from (etyl), partly imitative.

    Verb

    (padd)
  • To travel along (a road, path etc.).
  • * Somerville
  • Padding the streets for half a crown.
  • To travel on foot.
  • To wear a path by walking.
  • To walk softly, quietly or steadily, especially without shoes.
  • * 1922 , (Margery Williams), (The Velveteen Rabbit)
  • Their feet padded softly on the ground, and they crept quite close to him, twitching their noses, while the Rabbit stared hard to see which side the clockwork stuck out...
  • (obsolete) To practise highway robbery.
  • * (Cotton Mather)
  • Their chief Argument is, That they never saw'' any Witches, therefore there are ''none''. Just as if you or I should say, We never met with any ''Robbers'' on the Road, therefore there never was any ''Padding there.

    Etymology 6

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • I heard her soft footsteps, pad''', '''pad along the corridor.

    Noun

    (-)
  • The sound of soft footsteps, or a similar noise made by an animal etc.
  • Anagrams

    * * * * English three-letter words ----

    tab

    English

    Etymology 1

    First attested 1607, of uncertain origin.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small flap or strip of material attached to something, for holding, manipulation, identification, etc.
  • * 1993 , Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting , p 333:
  • He pulls off his belt, cursing as the studs catch in the tabs of his jeans.
  • (by extension, graphical user interface) A navigational widget for switching between sets of controls or documents.
  • (label) A tablet, especially one containing illicit drugs.
  • A fast march or run with full kit.
  • Verb

  • Mark with a tab.
  • (computing) To use the Tab key on a computer or typewriter to navigate the screen or page.
  • * 2010 , Chris Anderson, Pro Business Applications with Silverlight 4 (page 210)
  • You can prevent a control from getting the focus when the user is tabbing between controls by settings its IsTabStop property to False.
  • Short for tabulate.
  • Derived terms
    * keep tabs on * tabbed

    Etymology 2

    Apocopation (shortening) of tabulation.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal) A restaurant bill.
  • (slang) Credit account, e.g., in a shop or bar.
  • Put this round on my tab , will you, barman.
  • Short for tabulator.
  • (computing) A space character ((tab)) that extends to the next aligned column, traditionally used for tabulation.
  • Derived terms
    * pick up the tab

    Etymology 3

    Likely to have been formed by clipping the Geordie pronunciation of the word or alternatively from the brand name Ogden's Tabs .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (Geordie and Mackem) cigarette.
  • Giv'is a tab man!

    References

    *

    Etymology 4

    Shortening of tablature.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A form of musical notation indicating fingering rather than the pitch of notes, commonly used for stringed instruments.
  • Etymology 5

    Derived from the Latin Cantabrigia (often shortened to Cantab.).

    Noun

  • (rfv-sense)(slang) A student of Cambridge University.
  • Etymology 6

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (label) A tabloid newspaper.
  • * 1999 , George H. Douglas, The Golden Age of the Newspaper, p. 229:
  • * 2010 , Robert Lusetich, Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season:
  • Anagrams

    * * * * English clippings ----