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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

A further 29.8 million tonnes of rice is expected to be added once paddy already procured from farmers is milled.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

"We need it for the paddy season, so I had to ensure I had enough."

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

"For paddy too, I plan to reduce chemical fertiliser use," she said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

Tian and his colleagues played a key role in identifying and measuring how wetlands, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and global paddy rice farming contributed to the rapid rise in atmospheric methane.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 10, 2026

The paddy itself, meanwhile, has to have a hard clay floor; otherwise the water will simply seep into the ground.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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

There had been other good chances, though, with Paddy Kelly and Josh Magennis both unable to capitalise on promising positions, while Ruairi McConville hit the bar in the incident that led to the penalty.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Former world champion Prince Naseem Hamed and UFC star Paddy Pimblett watched from ringside as Pili swung wildly in the fifth, only for Taylor to make her miss and fire back.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

So what next for Paddy and the bus boat?

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

He’s like Paddy Clohessy the day I gave him the raisin.

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

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

They have also been affected by habitat loss from human settlements and agriculture especially cashew plantations, corn and rice paddies.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025

During spring, the onset of rice planting necessitates ample water in rice paddies and fields in South Korea.

From Science Daily ● May 20, 2024

Many species were apparently new to science, and even those that seemed familiar were surprising—some were usually restricted to tropical rice paddies.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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