pâd

noun. a step; track, road; ford, a step; track, road, [N.] way; ford

A word for a “track, road”, more specifically used “only of ‘roads’ or tracks unpaved in open country”, derived from ✶pat(a) of similar meaning (PE17/34). Tolkien said it could also mean “ford”. It was most notably used as an element in the name Tharbad “Crossway” (Ety/THAR) or “Road-crossing” (RC/15). In an unfinished note Tolkien translated pâd as “a step (action)” (PE17/34); in this note and elsewhere the root √PAT was associated with various verbs having to do with walking, such as S. padra- “walk” (PE17/34) and S. aphad- “follow, (orig.) walk behind” (WJ/387).

Conceptual Development: The name N. Thar-bad appeared in an entry added later to The Etymologies of the 1930s with a hard-to-read gloss, possibly “?Crossway” (Ety/THAR). It is possible this earlier appearance actually contained N. bâd “beaten track, pathway” < ᴹ√BAT “tread” (Ety/BAT). G. pad appeared (untranslated) in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s derived from ᴱ√pat-, along with G. padra- “walk” (GL/63).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume the primary meaning of pâd is “a step”, but it could mean “[series of] steps = track, road, way” in compounds like Tharbad. However, I would not use pâd for “ford”; for that I would using the better-attested athrad.

pâd

noun. way

pâd

a step

_ n. _a step (action).

pâd

ford

_ n. _ford. Also called athrad 'crossing'.

pâd

way

(construct pad), i bâd, pl. paid (i phaid). Isolated from Tharbad ”Crossroad”.

pâd

noun. ?way