Paddle

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ædÉ™l

From Old English padell (1407, "small spade"), from Medieval Latin padela, perhaps from Latin patella "pan, plate", the diminutive of patina

Full definition of paddle

Noun

1. A two-handed, single-bladed oar used to propel a canoe or a small boat.
2. A double-bladed oar used for kayaking.
3. Time spent on paddling.We had a nice paddle this morning.
4. A slat of a paddleboat's wheel.
5. A paddlewheel.
6. A blade of a waterwheel.
7. (video games, dated) A game controller with a round wheel used to control player movement along one axis of the video screen.
8. (British) A meandering walk or dabble through shallow water, especially at the seaside.
9. A kitchen utensil shaped like a paddle and used for mixing, beating etc.
10. A bat-shaped spanking implement''The paddle practically ousted the British cane as the spanker's attribute in the independent US
11. A ping-pong bat.
12. A flat limb of an aquatic animal, adapted for swimming.''A sea turtle's paddles make it swim almost as fast as land tortoises are slow
13. In a sluice, a panel that controls the flow of water.
14. A group of inerts
15. A handheld defibrillation/cardioversion electrode

Derived terms

• paddler
• paddleboat
• paddle board
• paddlewheel
• paddle steamer
• paddling
• dog paddle
• traffic paddle

Verb

1. (transitive) To propel something through water with a paddle, oar, hands, etc.
• L'Estrangeas the men were paddling for their lives
• John Gaywhile paddling ducks the standing lake desire
• 1884: Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter IXDaytimes we paddled all over the island in the canoe...
2. (intransitive) To row a boat with less than one's full capacity.
3. (transitive) To spank with a paddle.
4. To pat or stroke amorously or gently.
• Shakespeareto be paddling palms and pinching fingers.
5. To tread upon; to trample.

Recorded since 1530, probably cognate with Low German paddeln "to tramp about," frequent. of padjen "to tramp, to run in short steps," from pad (also in Dutch dialects)

Verb

1. (intransitive, British) To walk or dabble playfully in shallow water, especially at the seaside.
2. To toddle
3. (archaic, intransitive) To toy or caress using hands or fingers