Plural of wad; lumps or bunches of soft material pressed together, often used as stuffing, padding, or ammunition in guns.
From Old Norse 'vöðr,' related to Germanic roots meaning 'cloth' or 'bundle.' The word described clumps of material bundled together, from medieval times through to modern ammunition usage.
Bullets were literally just wads of lead rammed into old muskets—the same word describes cotton balls and gum, all things bunched up and compressed!
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