Archimedes' screw

or Archimedean screw

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noun

a device consisting essentially of a spiral passage within an inclined cylinder for raising water to a height when rotated.

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Also called water snail.

Origin of Archimedes' screw

First recorded in 1860–65

Words nearby Archimedes' screw

archimandrite, Archimedean, Archimedean solid, Archimedes, Archimedes' principle, Archimedes' screw, archine, arching, archipelago, Archipenko, archiphoneme

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Archimedes' screw in a sentence

You want less concentration in banking—at least the type that will screw the little guy and imperil the economy?
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Internet cool kids are rallying against Taylor Swift after her bold screw-you to Spotify.
Death of the Author by Viral Infection: In Defense of Taylor Swift, Digital Doomsayer|Arthur Chu|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then they sent me to psychologists and it was like “screw his head on straight.”
Exclusive: Michael Phelps’s Intersex Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend, Taylor Lianne Chandler, Tells All|Aurora Snow|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In all honesty she may be handling it better, in terms of not letting it affect her as a person or screw up her life.
Jeopardy! Champion Julia Collins’s Brain Feels Like Mush|Sujay Kumar|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The company bargained him down to $65 a screw—less than half of what they usually cost.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The powdered stone was removed from the hole by giving a screw form to the stem of the bit.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
"I did n't fly off the handle," said the screw, twirling huskily at the end of the screw-shaft.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
At the usual hour that night the employés of Stickle and Screw left work and took their several ways home ward.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
The propeller to be worked by this novel engine was of course his long-idle screw.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
An article in 'The Times' gives in strong contrast the relative value of screw and paddle-wheels as propellers.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for Archimedes' screw

Archimedes' screw

Archimedean screw

/ (ˌɑːkɪˈmiːdɪən, -mɪˈdiːən) /

noun

an ancient type of water-lifting device making use of a spiral passage in an inclined cylinder. The water is raised when the spiral is rotated

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012