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Sail vs Paddle - What's the difference?

sail | paddle | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between sail and paddle

is that sail is a piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes while paddle is a two-handed, single-bladed oar used to propel a canoe or a small boat.

As verbs the difference between sail and paddle

is that sail is to be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power while paddle is to propel something through water with a paddle, oar, hands, etc.

sail

English

(wikipedia sail)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) 'to cut'. More at saw.

Noun

(en noun)
  • (nautical) A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.
  • * : Scene 1: 496-497
    • When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive / And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind;
  • (uncountable) The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use this power for travel or transport.
  • A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.
    • Let's go for a sail .
  • (dated) A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft. Plural sail .
    • Twenty sail were in sight.
  • The blade of a windmill.
  • A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines.
  • The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.
  • (fishing) A sailfish.
    • We caught three sails today.
  • (paleontology) an outward projection of the
  • Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing.
  • * Spenser
    • Like an eagle soaring / To weather his broad sails .
    Hyponyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * balloon sail * by sail * drag sail * dragon sail * point of sail * sailback * sailboard * sailboat * sailcloth * sailer * sailfish * sailing * studding sail * set sail * take the wind out of someone's sails * topsail * working sail

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) , cognate to earlier Middle Low German segelen and its descendant Low German sailen.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.
  • To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
  • To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
  • To set sail; to begin a voyage.
    • We sail for Australia tomorrow.
  • To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
  • * Shakespeare
    • As is a winged messenger of heaven, / When he bestrides the lazy pacing clouds, / And sails upon the bosom of the air.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=April 15 , author=Saj Chowdhury , title=Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=A hopeful ball from Forest right-back Brendan Moloney to the left edge of the area was met first by Ruddy but his attempted clearance rebounded off Tyson's leg and sailed in.}}
  • To move briskly.
    • Derived terms
    * sail close to the wind

    Anagrams

    * English ergative verbs 1000 English basic words ----

    paddle

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) padell (1407, "small spade"), from Medieval Latin padela, perhaps from (etyl) patella "pan, plate", the diminutive of patina

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A two-handed, single-bladed oar used to propel a canoe or a small boat.
  • A double-bladed oar used for kayaking.
  • Time spent on paddling.
    • We had a nice paddle this morning.
  • A slat of a paddleboat's wheel.
  • A paddlewheel.
  • A blade of a waterwheel.
  • (video games, dated) A game controller with a round wheel used to control player movement along one axis of the video screen.
  • (British) A meandering walk or dabble through shallow water, especially at the seaside.
  • A kitchen utensil shaped like a paddle and used for mixing, beating etc.
  • A bat-shaped spanking implement
    • ''The paddle practically ousted the British cane as the spanker's attribute in the independent US
  • A ping-pong bat.
  • A flat limb of an aquatic animal, adapted for swimming.
    • ''A sea turtle's paddles make it swim almost as fast as land tortoises are slow
  • In a sluice, a panel that controls the flow of water.
  • A group of inerts
  • A handheld defibrillation/cardioversion electrode
    • Derived terms
    * paddler * paddleboat * paddle board * paddlewheel * paddle steamer * paddling * dog paddle * traffic paddle
    See also
    * oar

    Verb

  • To propel something through water with a paddle, oar, hands, etc.
  • * L'Estrange
    • as the men were paddling for their lives
  • * (John Gay)
    • while paddling ducks the standing lake desire
  • * 1884 : (Mark Twain), (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), Chapter IX
    • Daytimes we paddled all over the island in the canoe
  • To row a boat with less than one's full capacity.
  • To spank with a paddle.
  • To pat or stroke amorously or gently.
  • * Shakespeare
    • to be paddling palms and pinching fingers.
  • To tread upon; to trample.

    • Etymology 2

    Recorded since 1530, probably cognate with Low German paddeln "to tramp about," frequent. of padjen "to tramp, to run in short steps," from pad (also in Dutch dialects)

    Verb

  • (British) To walk or dabble playfully in shallow water, especially at the seaside.
  • To toddle
  • (archaic) To toy or caress using hands or fingers