Inkpads

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Containers or pads soaked with ink used to transfer color to paper or other surfaces for stamping or printing purposes
2. Absorbent materials infused with colored liquid employed to imprint designs or text by pressing a stamp or seal onto them
3. Devices or cushions saturated with pigment that enable the application of ink onto objects through the pressure of an inked stamp or marking tool

Etymology: "Inkpads" is simply the plural of "inkpad," a compound of "ink" and "pad." The first element goes back to Old English "inc," itself borrowed into the language from Latin "encaustum," a term for a purple-red ink used in ancient times. The second element, "pad," is a word of uncertain origin that has long meant a soft cushion or bundle of material. Put together, the pieces describe exactly what the object is: a padded mass of material saturated with ink, pressed against a rubber or stamp to transfer the impression onto paper. Because the word is a transparent compound, its parts explain its meaning directly, with no notable shift in sense between the components and the whole.

Synonyms: stamp pads, ink cushions, inking pads