Paddock

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpædək/

Definitions

1. A fenced area of land used to keep and graze animals ; a small plot of land used for growing crops or plants
2. An enclosure where farm animals are confined for grazing ; a modest sized field cultivated for agricultural purposes
3. A secure pasture or corral for livestock to feed or rest ; a limited area of farmland used to raise crops

Etymology: The word "paddock" has a surprising twist: it has two unrelated ancestors that happen to have landed on the same spelling. The grazing sense descends from Middle English "parrok" (also "parrock"), meaning an enclosed pasture, from Old English "pearroc," a fence enclosing a space. Its deeper roots are uncertain, though it may connect to a Germanic word for a bar or barrier. It is a doublet of "park," the two forms splitting off from a single source. The other lineage is entirely different. Middle English "paddok" meant "frog" or "toad," formed from "pad," a dialect word for a toad, plus the diminutive suffix "-ok." The paddock that means a field has nothing to do with amphibians, but the two words merged in spelling and sound over the centuries. The frog sense also lives on in a later meaning: "paddock" can denote a sledge, probably because its shape was thought to resemble a frog or toad.

Synonyms: enclosure, pasture, field