penstock

American  

[pen-stok] / ˈpɛnˌstɒk /

noun

1. a pipe conducting water from a head gate to a waterwheel.

2. a conduit for conveying water to a power plant.

3. a sluicelike contrivance used to control the flow of water.

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penstock British  

/ ˈpɛnˌstɒk /

noun

1. a conduit that supplies water to a hydroelectric power plant

2. a channel bringing water from the head gates to a water wheel

3. a sluice for controlling water flow

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penstock Scientific  

/ pĕn′stŏk′ /

1. A sluice or gate used to control a flow of water.

2. A pipe or conduit used to carry water to a water wheel or turbine.

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Etymology

Origin of penstock

First recorded in 1600–10; pen ² + stock

Example Sentences

But the skeptics were yelling up the wrong penstock.

From Time Magazine Archive

But the guest grabbed the penstock while it was still vibrating.

From When Egypt Went Broke by Day, Holman

At the gate is placed a vertical iron tube called a penstock, 7½ feet in diameter and 160 feet deep.

From Inventions in the Century by Doolittle, William Henry

That evening it did not hurt her a particle, and concluding that what was good for one foot must be good for two, she put both under the "penstock" till they were almost congealed.

From The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) Including Public Addresses, Her Own Letters and Many From Her Contemporaries During Fifty Years by Harper, Ida Husted

I'm going to run a penstock up those falls, and put in a turbine, driving a high-tension alternator.

From Spacehounds of IPC by Smith, E. E. (Edward Elmer)