mill wheel

American  

noun

1. a wheel, especially a waterwheel, for driving a mill.

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Etymology

Origin of mill wheel

before 1000; Middle English myln whele, Old English mylenhwēol. See mill ¹, wheel

Example Sentences

The canal’s water power, channeled through a mill wheel, drives a gigantic hammer inside the building punching down on the anvil.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 26, 2023

Work is well-organized energy usable for a purpose, like turning a mill wheel.

From Scientific American • Apr. 20, 2020

In Act III, during Samson’s scene of captivity — shorn of his hair, blinded and turning a mill wheel — the character’s spirit is utterly broken.

From New York Times • Sep. 25, 2018

The mill wheel was the all-purpose appliance that could run saws, pump bellows, grind grain, keep trip hammers thumping, turn meat spits and rock babies, all at once.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ralph stood now, one hand against an enormous red block, a block large as a mill wheel that had been split off and hung, tottering.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding