paddle wheel
1
3.5
- noun
- /ˈpædəl wiːl/
- Archaic
:
rueda de palas
- The riverboat's paddle wheel churned through the water, propelling us upstream.
- paddle wheel steamboat
- paddle-wheel boat
Tugs were buzzing up and down the river, paddle wheels flashing, iron muzzle smoking.
- Tugs were buzzing up and down the river, paddle wheels flashing, iron muzzle smoking.
Examples
-
Like Lodwick's former boat, the Northern Belle, the new boat would be a side paddle-wheel steamer, large and elegant with a 1,000 ton capacity.
-
You know, those old paddle-wheel boats on the Mississippi in the 19th century?
Blog text (12) -
Unfortunately, this little paddle frigate went down and the paddle wheel is still going around.
-
A paddle wheel, built by a local company, will keep the waters in each pond moving slowly to help keep the algae circulating.
Academic text (2007) -
I moved slowly, drinking in the warmth of the night air, listening to the churning of the paddle wheel, feeling the boat slice through the muddy water of the river.
Fiction book (1996) -
The stately paddle-wheel steamships that called regularly on Zurich and her prosperous environs had taken refuge at their winter harbor in Kilchberg.
Fiction book (1998) -
Many tourists enjoy a scenic ride on a historic paddle wheel boat along the river.
-
The captain pointed out the paddle wheel, which powered the vessel as we cruised through the lake.
Synonyms
1
6.8
A large wheel with flat boards that turns to move a boat through water
How Powerful
- Specialized
1
4.3
- Specialized
2
3.5
- Archaic
1
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'paddle' (a broad flat blade) with 'wheel' (a rotating round object): together they describe a wheel fitted with paddles used to move a boat. This noun–noun compound follows a straightforward compositional pattern common across languages and should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Paddle wheel names the real machine on old boats: a wheel with flat boards called paddles around its edge that spins and pushes water. So paddle wheel literally means the wheel that helps 'move a boat'.