Definition of water wheel Water wheel
wa•ter wheel
We found 8 definitions of water wheel from 4 different sources.
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What does water wheel mean?
WordNet
Noun |
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| water wheel - a wheel that rotates by direct action of water; a simple turbine | ||
| waterwheel | ||
| wheel a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines) | ||
| water mill a mill powered by a water wheel | ||
| bucket, pail a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top | ||
| mill wheel, millwheel water wheel that is used to drive machinery in a mill | ||
| water wheel - a wheel with buckets attached to its rim; raises water from a stream or pond | ||
| waterwheel | ||
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Wiktionary 
Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘
- water wheel
Any wheel for propelling machinery or for other purposes, that is made to rotate by the direct action of water; -- called an overshot wheel when the water is applied at the top, an undershot wheel when at the bottom, a breast wheel when at an intermediate point; other forms are called reaction wheel, vortex wheel, turbine wheel, etc. - water wheel
The paddle wheel of a steam vessel. - water wheel
A wheel for raising water; a noria, or the like.
Wikipedia 
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A water wheel is a hydropower system; a machine for extracting power from the flow of water. Water wheels and hydropower was widely used in the Middle Ages, powering most industry in Europe, along with the windmill. The most common use of the water wheel was to mill flour in gristmills, but other uses included foundry work and machining, and pounding linen for use in paper.
A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface. Most commonly, the wheel is mounted vertically on a horizontal axle, but the tub or Norse wheel is mounted horizontally on a vertical shaft. Vertical wheels can transmit power either through the axle or via a ring gear and typically drive belts or gears; horizontal wheels usually directly drive their load. A channel created for the water to follow after leaving the wheel is commonly referred to as a "tailrace."
Greco-Roman Europe.
The technology of the water wheel had long been known, but it was not put into widespread use until the Middle Ages when an acute shortage of labor made machines such as the water wheel cost effective. However, the water wheels in ancient Rome and ancient China found many practical uses in powering mills for pounding grain and other substances. The Romans used both fixed and floating water wheels and introduced water power to other countries of the Roman Empire. The Romans were known to use waterwheels extensively in mining projects,
