paddle wheel

noun

a wheel for propelling a ship, having a number of paddles entering the water more or less perpendicularly.

Origin of paddle wheel

First recorded in 1675–85

Related formspad·dle-wheel, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for paddle-wheel

Before passing onto the screw, it may be well to explain just how a paddle-wheel causes a boat to move.
Boys' Book of Model Boats|Raymond Francis Yates
The engine was on deck, and the upper part of the paddle-wheel was boxed up above the main deck.
Down South|Oliver Optic
The propellers hitherto practically applied in steam navigation are the paddle-wheel and the screw.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 430, March 29, 1884|Various
The box which covers the paddle-wheel, &c., helps to make a break in this gallery, separating the gentlemen from the ladies.
Lands of the Slave and the Free|Henry A. Murray

In 1833, or at the period now under consideration, however, the paddle-wheel was the recognized instrument of marine propulsion.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume XIV|John Lord

British Dictionary definitions for paddle-wheel

paddle wheel

noun

a large wheel fitted with paddles, turned by an engine to propel a vessel on the water

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

Word Origin and History for paddle-wheel

paddle-wheel

also paddlewheel, 1805, from paddle (n.) + wheel (n.).

paddle wheel

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of paddle wheel

Examples from the Web for paddle-wheel

paddle wheel

noun

paddle-wheel