paddle

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈpædl̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #10461

Meanings

1

verb
To move a boat through water using a paddle or your hands.

We paddled the canoe slowly down the calm river.
2

noun
A short pole with a wide flat end, used to move a small boat through water.

She dipped the paddle into the water and pushed the kayak forward.
3

noun
A short session of paddling a boat.

We had a lovely paddle on the lake this morning.
4

noun
A flat bat used to hit a ball in games like table tennis.

He gripped the paddle and served the ball across the table.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

4 noun · a flat bat used to hit a... bat racket

Word family

Forms paddledpaddlespaddling

Derived forms backpaddledog-paddledoggy-paddleknee-paddlemispaddlepaddle-outpaddle-staffpaddleablepaddleballpaddleboardpaddleboatpaddlebox

Related forms oar

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

paddle wheel
a large rotating wheel with blades that push a boat through water

Noun + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

Paddle your own canoe

Etymology

Partly from the verb paddle ("to splash, dabble"; see below) and partly from Middle English padell (“small spade”). Middle English padell is from Medieval Latin padela, itself of uncertain origin: perhaps an alteration of Middle English *spaddle (see also spaddle), a diminutive of spade; or from Latin patella (“pan, plate”), the diminutive of patina, or a merger of the two. Compare Ancient Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder, steering oar”), derived from πηδόν (pēdón, “the blade of an oar; an oar”).

padell Middle English padela la-med patella Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# paddle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpædl̩/
**Frequency rank:** 10461

## Meanings
1. To move a boat through water using a paddle or your hands.
2. A short pole with a wide flat end, used to move a small boat through water.
3. A short session of paddling a boat.
4. A flat bat used to hit a ball in games like table tennis.

## Examples
- We paddled the canoe slowly down the calm river.
- She dipped the paddle into the water and pushed the kayak forward.
- We had a lovely paddle on the lake this morning.
- He gripped the paddle and served the ball across the table.

## Derived Forms
- backpaddle
- dog-paddle
- doggy-paddle
- knee-paddle
- mispaddle
- paddle-out
- paddle-staff
- paddleable
- paddleball
- paddleboard
- paddleboat
- paddlebox

## Related Forms
- oar

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: padell
- Root: padela
- Root: patella

## Etymology
Partly from the verb paddle ("to splash, dabble"; see below) and partly from Middle English padell (“small spade”). Middle English padell is from Medieval Latin padela, itself of uncertain origin: perhaps an alteration of Middle English *spaddle (see also spaddle), a diminutive of spade; or from Latin patella (“pan, plate”), the diminutive of patina, or a merger of the two. Compare Ancient Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder, steering oar”), derived from πηδόν (pēdón, “the blade of an oar; an oar”).

## AI Etymology
Paddle partly from the verb paddle ("to splash, dabble"; see below) and partly from Middle English padell (“small spade”). Middle English padell is from Medieval Latin padela, itself of uncertain origin: perhaps an alteration of Middle English *spaddle (see also spaddle), a diminutive of spade; or from Latin patella (“pan, plate”), the diminutive of patina, or a merger of the two. Compare Ancient Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder, steering oar”), derived from πηδόν (pēdón, “the blade of an oar; an oar”). Modern senses include to move a boat through water using a paddle or your hands and a short pole with a wide flat end, used to move a small boat through water. The wider word family includes derivatives such as backpaddle, dog-paddle, doggy-paddle, knee-paddle, mispaddle, and paddle-out and related forms such as oar.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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