paddy

1 of 2

noun (1)

pad·​dy ˈpa-dē 

variants or less commonly padi

plural paddies also padis

1

: rice

especially : threshed unmilled rice

2

: wet land in which rice is grown

Paddy

2 of 2

noun (2)

Pad·​dy ˈpa-dē 

plural Paddies

slang, often disparaging + offensive

: irishman

Examples of paddy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Everyone wants his own personal rickshaw and rice paddy. —John Pomfret, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013

In 1942, during World War II, a flood seriously damaged the rice paddies in Chao Phraya River Delta, including Bangkok, for three months, causing the government to launch a campaign to encourage people to trade and eat noodles. —Isabelle Kliger, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 July 2024

For a truly unique experience, spend an hour in the resort's Shirin Yuko Forest, a grove of ancient trees dotted with mineral-rich soaking pools and treetop observation platforms overlooking neighboring rice paddies. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2024

Small-scale farmers took advantage of storm surge — trapping seawater in ponds and paddies to cultivate shellfish — and paved the way for other parts of coastal Bangladesh to do the same. —Mahadi Al Hasnat, Vox, 30 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Malay padi

Noun (2)

from Paddy, Hiberno-English nickname for Patrick

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1714, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

paddy

noun

pad·​dy ˈpad-ē 

plural paddies

: wet land in which rice is grown