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• paddy
  paddy

  noun

  a rice field.
• Paddy
  Paddy

  noun

  an Irishman or a person of Irish descent.

paddy

¹ American  

[pad-ee] / ˈpæd i /

noun

• paddies
  plural

1. a rice field.

2. rice, especially in the husk, either uncut or gathered.

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Paddy ² American  

[pad-ee] / ˈpæd i /

noun

• Paddies
  plural

1. Slang: Often Offensive. an Irishman or a person of Irish descent.

2. a male given name.

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paddy ¹ British  

/ ˈpædɪ /

noun

1. Also called: paddy field. a field planted with rice

2. rice as a growing crop or when harvested but not yet milled

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Paddy ² British  

/ ˈpædɪ /

noun

1. (sometimes not capital) an informal, often derogatory, name for an Irishman

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paddy ³ British  

/ ˈpædɪ /

noun

1. informal a fit of temper

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Sensitive Note

This term is used as a neutral nickname or term of address for an Irishman, though it may be perceived as insulting.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Paddies
  plural
• paddies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of paddy¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Malay padi “unhusked rice”; currency of this word in the English of India perhaps due to early association with Kannada batta, bhatta “unhusked rice” (from Indo-Aryan; compare Hindi, Marathi bhāt “cooked rice,” Sanskrit bhakhta “food, meal”)

Origin of Paddy²

Familiar variant of Irish Padraig Patrick; see -y ²

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Explanation

A paddy is a field used for growing rice. Paddies are different from most other crop fields because they are partially flooded with water. If you plan on farming a rice paddy, you'll probably want to invest in a good pair of waterproof boots. There are a few kinds of rice that can grow in dry soil, but most need the soggy soil that a paddy provides. Most rice paddies are located in various parts of Asia, although they can also be found in Spain, Haiti, and the state of California. Another meaning of this word is "unmilled rice." The Malay root of paddy is padi, "rice in the straw."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paddy Paddy Paddies paddies

"If the paddy price is guaranteed, once they sell, they get the money," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● May 8, 2026

Managed environments such as paddy rice fields and inland waters also contributed significantly.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 10, 2026

A number of them are bordered by mountains, cities or paddy fields, making it harder to break out of the beach perimeter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

The island's formerly verdant south has been transformed by a tourism boom that brought jobs and economic benefits, but also paved over and built on paddy fields and coconut groves that once provided drainage.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025

Then, we came and gathered up what remained of the paddy and took it away to thresh and winnow.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Meanwhile, Flutter Entertainment—which houses FanDuel, PokerStars, and Paddy Power among its brands—has canceled its listing in London and made New York its main listing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

He said fellow BBC presenters Sara Cox, Paddy McGuinness and Vernon Kay had previously achieved "extraordinary things" for Children in Need, adding: "I've got a lot to live up to."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Paddy made the hull out of the mast from a scrap wind turbine before welding a bow and a stern on and then adding an engine.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Paddy was inspired for this, his biggest project, by journeys he made on buses when he was younger.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Dotty O’Neill sent a note to your house and said you didn’t come back to school after lunch, that you went on the mooch with Paddy Clohessy.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

He said when the artist first told him about the idea "he talked about the idea of different Paddies who have all done interesting things".

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2023

Paddies require enough water to keep rice plants partially submerged to grow.

From Reuters ● Jun. 16, 2015

Paddies were blackened with salt water, the rice crop destroyed.

From Time Magazine Archive

The shallow waters of the bay were being filled up by the rubbish from the town and by the débris from the operations of the Steam Paddies.

From The Forty-Niners A Chronicle of the California Trail and El Dorado by Stewart Edward White

Tom immediately told him he should leave that place, and an altercation commenced; but even an electioneering dispute could not but savour of fun and repartee, between Paddies.

From Handy Andy, Volume One A Tale of Irish Life, in Two Volumes by Samuel Lover

At a coffee shop nestled in the rice paddies of Guilin’s Yangshuo county, flocks of visitors from different parts of the country engaged in one of Chinese tourists’ favorite low-cost activities: taking lots of pictures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Summer came too early to Europe's most important rice growing region and weeds are taking over Sharon Angoli's parched paddies in Italy's Pavia province.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

In the rice paddies of Buri Ram, Thailand, a sarus crane gently cleans its one-week-old chick before lingering in a quiet beak-to-beak moment.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

One of Oshu’s most popular events is an annual festival featuring rice art, made from growing five different varieties of rice to form vast images on the paddies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024

The soldiers lead them past the rice paddies, past the swaying palm trees, to afield at the edge of the village.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

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