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
OTHER WORDS FROM paddle wheel
pad·dle-wheel, adjectiveWords nearby paddle wheel
paddle,
paddle box,
paddle one's own canoe,
paddle steamer,
paddle tennis,
paddle wheel,
paddle worm,
paddleball,
paddleboard,
paddleboat,
paddlefish
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