Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A thief who preys on pedestrians.
- n. A plate or similar structure on the leg of a spacecraft that distributes weight and helps prevent sinking after landing.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A highwayman who robs on foot; specifically, one of a large class, existing in Europe when police authority was still in an ineffective condition, who made a business of robbing people passing on horseback or in carriages.
- n. A pad fitted over the sole of a horse's foot to prevent balling in snow.
- n. An anklet of leather strapped on a horse's foot to prevent interfering; a boot.
- n. In entomology, a cushion-like expansion on the lower surface of the tarsal joints: applied especially to the onychium, or membranous cushion between the tarsal claws. Also called foot-cushion and pulvillus. See cut under flesh-fly.
Wiktionary
- n. The soft underside of an animal's paw.
- n. A medicated bandage for the treatment of corns and warts.
- n. A thief on foot who robs travellers on the road.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A highwayman or robber on foot.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a highwayman who robs on foot
Etymologies
- foot + obsolete pad, highwayman (probably from Middle Dutch pad, path; see pent- in Indo-European roots).
Examples
“A footpad is a robber or thief specializing in pedestrian victims.”
“But at least there was one Border highwayman -- or is "footpad" here the more correct term?”
“Ah, but those were the times when life was worth the living; when a man who went out by night knew not at which dark corner a "footpad" might leap upon and slay him; when wild beasts roamed the forest and the jungles, and there were savage men, and countries yet unexplored.”
“a "footpad" might leap upon and slay him; when wild beasts roamed the forest and the jungles, and there were savage men, and countries yet unexplored.”
“Dance Dance Revolution is a game that syncs dance music to the gamer's steps on a touch-sensitive footpad, with varying levels of difficulty.”
The Huffington Post: 10-Year-Old YouTube Sensation Is The World's 'Dance Dance Revolution' Ace
“Arlo wondered if his wife noticed the gristly lumps that had formed along the old scar on Shadow's neck, where the footpad of Cody's dirt bike had caught her.”
“Impossible in the falling snow to get a lock on my footpad.”
“There have been dancing games before, of course, but they were rudimentary hopscotch affairs where you had to step on the right footpad at the right time.”
The Guardian: Why talk to a computer? Surely talking to a human is traumatic enough?
“That was like a DDR footpad setup in the stage right?”
World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale on Vimeo
“Caption: Mosaic of Phoenix lander footpad and blocks of water ice dubbed “Snow Queen” cleared of topsoil by descent rockets as spacecraft touched down near the frigid Martian North Pole on May 25, 2008.”
If Phoenix Arises, Science could flow quickly | Universe Today
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘footpad’.
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Archaic
abide, abjure, abroad, adamant, afield, aforetime, aghast, anon, apace, argent, assuage, aught and 327 more...
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Perponyms
List of words referent to persons who commit specific crimes, or are suspected of committing those crimes, beginning with arsonist and safecracker.
Check out reesetee's nice Bad Guys l...arsonist, safecracker, murderer, rapist, getaway man, jewel thief, accomplice, drug dealer, carjacker, gunrunner, industrial spy, human trafficker and 196 more...
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Nethack words
Words you mainly only encounter whilst playing Nethack.
troglodyte, skirmisher, coalesce, djinni, stripling, uncursed, Elbereth, tripe, lichen, grid bug, kobold, naiad and 16 more...
bilby "The fact that he was stopped by a footpad smote Tom Swift's mind as not a particularly surprising adventure. He had heard that several of that gentry had been plying their trade about the outskirts of the town."
- Victor Appleton, 'Tom Swift And His Electric Locomotive'. Aug 27, 2009
seanahan I always thought this word comes from the fact that a footpad is capable of moving softly on his feet, to sneak up on his victim. Feb 2, 2007
reesetee a highwayman who robs on foot Feb 2, 2007
brandelion an excellent word, andrew.simone. thank you. :) Dec 9, 2006