Tread-wheel (Noun)
Meaning
A mill that is powered by men or animals walking on a circular belt or climbing steps.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The prison was notorious for its use of the tread-wheel, where inmates were forced to climb for hours a day to power the grain mill.
- The ancient mill relied on a team of oxen to walk on a tread-wheel and grind the grain into flour.
- The villagers would often gather to watch the men working the tread-wheel, their feet moving in unison as they powered the textile mill.
- The Roman engineers built a sophisticated system of canals and waterwheels, but also used the human-powered tread-wheel to grind grain in times of drought.
- The industrial revolution marked the end of the tread-wheel, as steam engines and other machines replaced the need for human or animal power.