noun
1Hinduism
A version of the Vedic text that is separated into individual words, without the application of sandhi; a method of reciting the text according to these word divisions.2An Indian lyrical poem set to music.
Pronunciation
pada
/ˈpadə/ /ˈpʌdə/Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in The Penny Cyclopaedia. From Sanskrit pada footstep, pace, metrical foot or unit, (later) word, lyric strophe.
noun
ProsodyA line of Sanskrit verse, usually a quarter of a four-line stanza, which constitutes the basic metrical unit of Vedic poetry.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Journal of the American Oriental Society. From Sanskrit pāda foot, quarter (referring to the foot of a quadruped), verse or line (as the fourth part of a regular stanza) from the same Indo-European base as foot.