D defs.my
Entry 3 senses Webster, 1913

Water wheel

/wôt'-ẽr wēl/ · Wa·ter wheel · IPA
01 Any wheel for propelling machinery or for other purposes, that is made to rotate by the direct action of water; -- called an overshot wheel…
  1. 1.
    Any wheel for propelling machinery or for other purposes, that is made to rotate by the direct action of water; -- called an overshot wheel when the water is applied at the top, an undershot wheel when at the bottom, a breast wheel when at an intermediate point; other forms are called reaction wheel, vortex wheel, turbine wheel, etc.
  2. 2.
    The paddle wheel of a steam vessel.
  3. 3.
    A wheel for raising water; a noria, or the like.