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paddock1

[pad-uh k]
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noun
  1. a small, usually enclosed field near a stable or barn for pasturing or exercising animals.
  2. the enclosure in which horses are saddled and mounted before a race.
  3. Australian. any enclosed field or pasture.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to confine or enclose in or as in a paddock.
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Origin of paddock1

1540–50; variant of Middle English parrok, with r heard as flapped d; Old English pearroc enclosure, orig. fence. See park

paddock2

[pad-uh k]
noun
  1. Archaic. a frog or toad.
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Origin of paddock2

1350–1400; Middle English paddok(e), derivative of early Middle English pad toad (compare E dial. pad frog); akin to Dutch, Low German pad, Old Norse padda; see -ock
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

trackovalpaddockcourseringturfhippodromepathpenpoundstockadecompound

Examples from the Web for paddock

Historical Examples

  • He fought his way back to the open of the paddock without making a bet.

    Thoroughbreds

    W. A. Fraser

  • "If he's an owner he'll probably be in the paddock," replied the composed one.

    Thoroughbreds

    W. A. Fraser

  • During this time there was a bustle of much interest in the paddock.

    Thoroughbreds

    W. A. Fraser

  • He was rarely seen in the paddock, but might this day come out to view The Dutchman.

    Thoroughbreds

    W. A. Fraser

  • "Let us go into the Paddock," said Drake, and they began to cross the race track.

    The Christian

    Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for paddock

paddock1

noun
  1. a small enclosed field, often for grazing or training horses, usually near a house or stable
  2. (in horse racing) the enclosure in which horses are paraded and mounted before a race, together with the accompanying rooms
  3. (in motor racing) an area near the pits where cars are worked on before races
  4. Australian and NZ any area of fenced land
  5. Australian and NZ a playing field
  6. the long paddock Australian informal a stockroute or roadside area offering feed to sheep and cattle in dry times
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verb
  1. (tr) to confine (horses, etc) in a paddock
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Word Origin

C17: variant of dialect parrock, from Old English pearruc enclosure, of Germanic origin. See park

paddock2

noun
  1. archaic, or dialect a frog or toadAlso called (Scot): puddock
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Word Origin

C12: from pad toad, probably from Old Norse padda; see -ock
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

Word Origin and History for paddock

n.1

"a frog, a toad," c.1300, diminutive of pad "toad," from Old Norse padda; common Germanic (cf. Swedish padda, Danish padde, Old Frisian and Middle Dutch padde "frog, toad," also Dutch schildpad "tortoise"), of unknown origin and with no certain cognates outside Germanic.

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n.2

"an enclosure," 1620s, alteration of Middle English parrock, from Old English pearroc "enclosed space, fence" (see park (n.)). Or possibly from Medieval Latin parricus (8c.), which ultimately is from Germanic.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper