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Glite Dictionary
millwheel

millwheel

7.0
A large wheel that flowing water turns to power machines that grind grain
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪlˌwiːl/
translation icon : rueda de molino
  • Farmers relied on the millwheel to supply energy for processing their wheat into ready-to-use flour.

Examples

  • Intimations of what might come of the night turned slowly in his head, like millwheels in a lazy stream, affording him a glimpse of every bladed consequence.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The millwheel turned steadily, providing the necessary power to grind the grain into flour.

  • At the old mill by the river, the massive millwheel splashed water as it rotated, driving the machinery inside.

Synonyms

water wheel
vsmillwheel
2 3.5

A large wheel turned by flowing water to power machines or lift water

focuses on use in a mill rather than general or historical power use
waterwheel
vsmillwheel
1 3.5

A large wheel turned by flowing water that makes power for machines or lifts water

is more specific to driving mill machinery rather than general power use
mill wheel
vsmillwheel
1 4.6

A large round device turned by flowing water to run machines that grind grain

is the same but condensed into a single compound form

Surface Forms

millwheel singular
millwheels plural

Morphology

millwheel = mill + wheel (transparent) = mill + wheel

The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'mill' and 'wheel': a wheel associated with a mill (powering its machinery).

Etymology

Millwheel combines two very common words: mill ('a place that grinds grain') and wheel ('a round object that turns'). So a millwheel is the large wheel turned by water or wind that drives the machines inside a mill.