paddy

[ pad-ee ]

/ ˈpæd i /

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noun, plural pad·dies.

a rice field.

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

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Origin of paddy

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”)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH paddy

paddy , patty

Other definitions for paddy (2 of 2)

Paddy

[ pad-ee ]

/ ˈpæd i /

noun, plural Pad·dies.

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

a male given name.

Origin of Paddy

Familiar variant of Irish Padraig Patrick; see -y²

usage note for Paddy

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use paddy in a sentence

We walked through wheat fields taller than our heads and on raised narrow paths between rice paddies.
A Little Too Off the Beaten Path in Burma|Katya Cengel|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Japan is another country where UAVs have found a permanent foothold among the rice paddies.
Unmanned Drones May Have Their Greatest Impact on Agriculture|Miranda Green|March 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I felt completely safe biking home through remote rice paddies or sitting in a train alone in the middle of the night.
Japan Aftershock: The Nation's Rattled Nerves|Sonia Narang|April 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
As for his unprotected nose and four paddies, he wrapped them up warm in the fluffy rug of his thick soft brush.
Wild Folk|Samuel Scoville

That woman will die before six months are out, a victim to high civilization and the Paddies.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 97, November, 1865|Various
It was intolerable that the men whom they had left strewn along the rice-paddies should go unavenged.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
We were nearing the provincial capital; some paddies and fields were even fenced.
The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga|Cornelis De Witt Willcox
Stop your yawping, you Paddies, and let a fellow sleep if he can.
Miss Ravenel's conversion from secession to loyalty|J. W. de Forest

British Dictionary definitions for paddy (1 of 3)

paddy¹

/ (ˈpædɪ) /

noun plural -dies

Also called: paddy field a field planted with rice

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

Word Origin for paddy

from Malay pādī

British Dictionary definitions for paddy (2 of 3)

paddy²

/ (ˈpædɪ) /

noun plural -dies

British informal a fit of temper

Word Origin for paddy

C19: from Paddy

British Dictionary definitions for paddy (3 of 3)

Paddy

/ (ˈpædɪ) /

noun plural -dies

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

Word Origin for Paddy

from Patrick

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012