A disk-shaped or cylindrical piece of wood made to fit the bore of a muzzle-loading gun, and rammed home between the charge and the missile, to act…

concrete. Any soft, pliable material from which gun-wads are made; also, a wad.

A plug of tow, cloth, etc., a disk of felt or cardboard, to retain the powder and shot in position in charging a gun or cartridge.

in various special uses, e.g. as an ale-house sign; hung outside a house as a sign of the plague; as a plug, strainer, or wad; (of herbs) as a…

A piece of greased cloth, leather, or other material used as the wadding for a rifle ball, or (in later use) for cleaning the barrel.

a plug made of junk (sense A. 1c) or oakum bound with spunyarn and used to keep the powder and shot in position when loading a gun or cartridge; cf…

A ring or wreath of rope, spec. one consisting of a single strand laid three times round. A wad for keeping the shot steady in the bore when firing…

Firearms. The wadding for a bullet. Cf. patch, n.1 3. Obsolete.

U.S. A piece of greased wadding for a rifle ball; a patch (see patch, n.1 3) lubricated with oil rather than with animal fat. Obsolete. rare.

(see quot.: = c).