| a wheel for propelling a ship, having a number of paddles entering the water more or less perpendicularly. |
| paddle wheel n. A wheel with boards or paddles affixed around its circumference, usually driven by steam to propel a ship. pad'dle-wheel' (pād'l-hwēl', -wēl') adj. |
paddle wheel
method of ship propulsion that was once widely employed but is now almost entirely superseded by the screw propeller. Early experiments with steam-driven paddles acting as oars led several inventors, including Robert Fulton, to mount the paddles in a wheel form, either at the stern or at the sides of the vessel.
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