Millraces

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The channel that carries water to a mill wheel ; the outflow channel that carries water away from a mill after it has turned the wheel
2. A conduit bringing water onto a waterwheel ; a passage that releases spent water downstream from a mill
3. Artificial watercourses feeding a mill's wheel ; the tailrace channels draining water from the mill once it has passed the wheel

Etymology: "Millraces" is the plural of "millrace," which names the channel that carries water to a mill wheel, or the stream of water running through that channel. The word is a compound of "mill" and "race." "Mill" comes from Old English "myln," and "race" in this sense refers to a fast-moving current or a channel that directs one, a meaning drawn from the Old English "ræs," a rush of water. The two parts together describe exactly what the structure is: a race is a swift-flowing passage, and a millrace is one built to drive a mill. Because a water-powered mill depended on a steady, forceful flow, the channel had to be engineered to concentrate the current onto the wheel, which is why the term stayed attached to that specific piece of infrastructure.

Synonyms: mill race