paddle-wheel

The paddle-wheel of the riverboat churns through the calm water.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A mechanical device for propelling a boat: A "paddle-wheel" is a large wheel fitted with paddles (flat boards) around its circumference, used to move a boat through the water by rotating and pushing against the water.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The steamboat was powered by a giant paddle-wheel at its stern. (A large wheel with paddles at the back of the ship propelled it forward.)
  • The old Mississippi riverboat had a paddle-wheel on each side. (Two such wheels, one on either side, moved the boat.)

Advanced Usage

• "Paddle-wheel steamer": a type of boat that uses a paddle-wheel as its primary means of propulsion, often powered by a steam engine.
  • We took a ride on a historic paddle-wheel steamer on the lake. (A boat with a paddle-wheel and steam engine.)

Variants and Related Words

• Paddle-wheel boat (noun): a boat equipped with a paddle-wheel.

  • The paddle-wheel boat chugged slowly up the river. (A boat that uses a paddle-wheel for movement.)

• Paddle-wheel ship (noun): a larger vessel, often a steamship, fitted with paddle-wheels.

  • Nineteenth-century paddle-wheel ships were common on major rivers. (Large steam-powered ships with paddle-wheels.)

Synonyms

• Paddle steamer: a steamship driven by a paddle-wheel.
• Side-wheeler: a boat with a paddle-wheel on each side (a specific type of paddle-wheel vessel).

Related Idioms

• (No common idioms directly using "paddle-wheel" exist; the term is largely technical or historical.)