Meaning

noun small wooden bat with a flat surface; used for hitting balls in various games

noun a blade of a paddle wheel or water wheel

noun an instrument of punishment consisting of a flat board

originPartly 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…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0