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pad·dock

(pădək)

1. A fenced area, usually near a stable, used chiefly for grazing horses.

2. Sports

a. An enclosure at a racetrack where the horses are assembled, saddled, and paraded before each race.

b. An area of an automobile racetrack where cars are prepared before a race.

3. Australian A piece of fenced-in land.

tr.v. pad·docked, pad·dock·ing, pad·docks

To confine in a paddock.

[Alteration of Middle English parrok, from Old English pearroc.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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