notepad

Etymology

It is formed from English note + pad.^[2][3][4] The OED takes the second part as the noun pad in the sense of a set of sheets of paper fastened together.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A pad of paper for writing notes, also written note-pad: 1907 according to Etymonline.^[3] The OED's first quotation is from Arnold Bennett's novel Lilian (1922), the date also given by both Merriam-Webster dictionaries;^[2][5][6] the Random House dictionary gives 1920–25.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

The word kept its first sense, a pad of paper for notes,^[2][6] and with personal computers it was applied to an application, or a part of one, where a user can store information for later use (1985).^[2] From 1991 it was also used for a small, light, portable computer, especially one worked with a pen or stylus, beside notebook.^[2]

Timeline

• 1907 – a pad of paper for writing notes.^[3] The OED's first quotation for this sense is from 1922.^[2]
• 1985 – in computing, an application for storing notes and other information.^[2]
• 1991 – a small portable computer, especially one operated with a stylus.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A pad of blank or ruled paper, its sheets fastened at one edge, for writing notes on: He kept a notepad by the telephone.^[6][2][1]
2. (computing) An application, or a feature of one, in which a user can store notes or other information for later use.^[2]
3. (computing) A small, light, portable computer, especially one operated with a stylus.^[2]

Related words

• note
• pad
• notebook

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House