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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

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

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

Farmer Abdul Rashid Yob, who has a three-hectare paddy in the region, told AFP the drought's impact was being compounded by rising fuel costs linked to the war in Iran.

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

Twenty-two-year-old Ni Kadek Sintya recalls a time when she used to ride her scooter through the quiet roads of Canggu, past paddy fields where she would take a lunch break.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025

He pointed to a small trench along the side of the paddy.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

Gaethje earned the interim lightweight title in January by defeating Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

The owner of FanDuel, PokerStars, and Paddy Power said July 31 would be its last day of trading on the LSE.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Northern Ireland will be without Ali McCann, Ruairi McConville, Paddy McNair and Bailey Peacock-Farrell for the game in Wales, and O'Neill did suggest he would make changes to his starting team.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

Leeds United winger Daniel James is also a fitness doubt, while Northern Ireland have been hit by the withdrawals of Ali McCann, Ruairi McConville, Paddy McNair and Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

He talks a long time at the door with my mother and when she leaves he walks between the seats and pats Paddy Clohessy on the head.

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 White, Stewart Edward

“The toil for Ireland once begun, We never will give o’er, Nor own a land on earth but one— We’re Paddies evermore.”

From The Revival of Irish Literature Addresses by Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, K.C.M.G, Dr. George Sigerson, and Dr. Douglas Hyde by Duffy, Charles Gavan

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

Far less is known about their effects in wet farming landscapes such as rice paddies, which are widespread across Asia and provide important habitat for wildlife that depends on wetlands.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 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

Niigata prefecture is a coastal idyll of steep mountains and lush rice paddies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

Fog drifting in from the northern Pacific Ocean blankets its rice paddies, apple orchards, and cattle farms.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland