paddy

1 of 2

noun (1)

pad·​dy ˈpa-dē How to pronounce paddy (audio)
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 How to pronounce Paddy (audio)
plural Paddies
slang, often disparaging + offensive

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The five-hour hike through bamboo forests and rice paddies — though absolutely marvelous, even out of season — was also a bit strenuous for her. Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2023 Bali remains covered with deep green rice paddies and golden sand stretching into turquoise water. Gabe Hiatt, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2023 Manure and gas from cows is rich in methane, as are rice paddies, which emit the gas after they're flooded. Cara Korte, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2023 Thousands of residents evacuated Iwaki in 2011 as the Fukushima Daiichi power station spewed radioactive material over farmlands, rice paddies, and homes. Takehiko Kambayashi, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2023 Polizzi and her friends hoped to stay in Canggu, a seaside surfing village known for its beaches and terraced rice paddies. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2023 Groups of relatives frequently walk into her home with giant wooden buckets of piping hot sticky rice, harvested from the paddy fields nearby. Selina Wang, CNN, 27 Jan. 2023 Away from the hotel hubs of Ubud and Kuta, Nirjhara in Tabanan embraces its rice paddy setting on Bali's southwestern coast with breezy villas and treehouse-like canopy suites made from reclaimed wood. Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2022 There are clusters of gravestones, an odd one plonked in the middle of a paddy. Michelle Jana Chan, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paddy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of paddy was in 1623

Dictionary Entries Near paddy

Cite this Entry

“Paddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paddy. Accessed 31 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

paddy

noun
pad·​dy ˈpad-ē How to pronounce paddy (audio)
plural paddies
: wet land in which rice is grown

More from Merriam-Webster on paddy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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