Added 8 October 2026
paddock
/ˈpædək/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about paddock at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A small enclosure or field of grassland, especially one used to exercise or graze horses or other animals.
- An enclosure next to a racecourse where horses are paraded and mounted before a race and unsaddled after a race. An area at a racing circuit where the racing vehicles are parked and worked on before and between races. A field on which a game is played; a playing field. A field of grassland of any size, either enclosed by fences or delimited by geographical boundaries, especially a large area for keeping cattle or sheep. A place in a superficial deposit where ore or washdirt (“earth rich enough in metal to pay for washing”) is excavated; also, a place for storing ore, washdirt, etc.
- An enclosure next to a racecourse where horses are paraded and mounted before a race and unsaddled after a race.
verb
- To place or keep (cattle, horses, sheep, or other animals) within a paddock (noun sense 1 or 2.4); hence, to provide (such animals) with pasture.
- To enclose or fence in (land) to form a paddock.
- To excavate washdirt (“earth rich enough in metal to pay for washing”) from (a superficial deposit). To store (ore, washdirt, etc.) in a paddock (noun sense 2.5).
noun
Origin
The noun is almost certainly a variant of dialectal British parrock (“enclosure; park; croft, small field, paddock”), from Middle English parrok, parrock (“enclosed pasture, paddock; coop; feeding stall; cabin, hut”) [and other forms], from Old English pearroc, pearruc (“fence used to enclose a space; area enclosed by such a fence, enclosure”), from Proto-West Germanic *parruk (“enclosure; pen for animals”), from Proto-Germanic *parrukaz (“fence; enclosure”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *barō (“bar, beam; barrier”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“to pierce; to strike”). Equivalent to park + -ock. Doublet of park.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)