mill wheel
1
4.6
- noun
- /mɪl wiːl/
:
rueda de molino
- As the water flowed over the surface, the mill wheel turned steadily, driving the mill's operations.
Examples
-
The ancient mill wheel, submerged in the river, still harnessed the water's energy.
-
The old mill wheel groans in the gale.
Fiction book (1992) -
The mill wheel powered the machinery that ground the grain into flour.
Synonyms
2
3.5
A large wheel turned by flowing water to power machines or lift water
1
3.5
A large wheel turned by flowing water that makes power for machines or lifts water
A large wheel that flowing water turns to power machines that grind grain
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a wheel used to drive machinery in a mill' is directly derivable from combining 'mill' (a facility for processing materials) and 'wheel' (a rotating object); a B1 learner who knows both words will readily interpret it as the wheel belonging to or used by a mill. This noun–noun compositional pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so no idiomatic knowledge is required.
Etymology
The noun mill wheel comes from the simple image of a large wheel beside a river that flowing water pushes to turn the mill's machines. So mill wheel means the big water wheel that 'powers' the mill.