wadding

American  

[wod-ing] / ˈwɒd ɪŋ /

noun

1. any fibrous or soft material for stuffing, padding, packing, etc., especially carded cotton in specially prepared sheets.

2. material used as wads wad for guns, cartridges, etc.

3. Surgery. any large dressing made of cotton or a similar absorbent material that is used to stanch the flow of blood or dress a wound.

4. a wad or lump.

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wadding British  

/ ˈwɒdɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. any fibrous or soft substance used as padding, stuffing, etc, esp sheets of carded cotton prepared for the purpose

   2. a piece of this

2. material for wads used in cartridges or guns

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Etymology

Origin of wadding

First recorded in 1620–30; wad ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

It is a pastime that requires next-level commitment, though, as Ioan often spends days deep underground at a time, digging passages, or wadding through partially submerged caves.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2023

The statement was posted with a hashtag:#BanBlanks, calling for an end to the use of blank cartridges, which contain gunpowder and paper wadding or wax.

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2021

There was reportedly no wadding for the blanks.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2021

The operator would pour a measure of powder down the barrel, drop a projectile on top, then ram in a piece of wadding to hold everything in place.

From Washington Post • Jul. 16, 2020

Then he dipped the torch he was holding into the bucket, took it out again, and held its dripping head of wadding to one of its burning sisters.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• bundle
• chunk
• clump
• lump
• packet