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

The farm also has a small rice paddy to demonstrate how the grain is grown. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026

Shuvash Chandra Mondol, 45, still remembers carrying heavy bags of paddy on his shoulders during his childhood. — Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, The Dial, 7 July 2026

Noun

Rice paddies emit methane and nitrous oxide from wet or flooded soils. — Hanqin Tian, Fortune, 25 May 2026

Those could range from jungles on Pacific islands to rice paddies in Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia, and to battlefields on the Korean peninsula. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2026

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

Rhymes for paddy

• addy
• caddie
• caddy
• daddy
• gaddi
• laddie
• granddaddy

Kids Definition

paddy

noun

pad·​dy ˈpad-ē 

plural paddies

: wet land in which rice is grown