Plural of 'paddle': flat implements used to propel boats through water; or the broad feet of water birds; or as a verb, to move through water using a paddle.
From Middle English 'padel,' possibly from the Dutch or Low German 'padden.' The word originally referred to the flat part, then generalized to the tool itself.
Paddles are one of humanity's oldest tools—some of the earliest canoe paddles date back 10,000 years—and it's wild that this simple flat-on-a-stick design has barely changed because it's already biomechanically perfect!
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