paddle

Paddle comes partly from a verb meaning "to splash, dabble," and partly from Middle English padell, meaning "small spade." That padell likely traces to Medieval Latin padela, whose own origin is uncertain — perhaps a diminutive of "spade," perhaps related to Latin patella ("pan, plate"), or some blend of the two; there's also a possible echo in Ancient Greek pēdálion, meaning "rudder" or "steering oar."

The splashing sense and the small-spade sense seem to have flowed together over time, giving English a single word that covers both the tool and the act of moving through water with it. The verb itself has been recorded since 1530.

The verb form is probably cognate with Low German paddeln ("to tramp about"), itself built from padjen ("to tramp, run in short steps") — so paddle may share deep roots with words about trudging on foot, not just moving through water.