Pad: the sole of a foot, the action of it moving, and the place where it moves, which is a path.) As the sounds it makes are soft (and as the best paths for bare feet are soft ground), it has been adopted for all soft things that are meant to cushion hard things. Even as a landing pad for a damselfly for a helicopter, it is a foot, reaching up to provide footing for that which can’t settle uneven ground (or water).

Lily Pads and Damsel Flies, Never Separate