leat

A miller directs water from the leat to turn the mill wheel.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A water channel: "leat" refers to an artificial watercourse or channel, typically constructed to convey water to a mill, mine, or other industrial site. It is often cut into the ground or built as an open trench.

Usage Examples

• (An artificial channel supplying water to a mill.)
• (A man-made watercourse for agricultural or industrial use.)

Advanced Usage

• "to run a leat": to construct or maintain a water channel.

  • The engineers ran a leat from the reservoir to the factory. (They built a water channel to supply the factory.)

• "leat system": a network of such channels.

  • The ancient leat system still feeds the village ponds. (The historical network of water channels continues to function.)

Variants and Related Words

• Leat (n): no common variants; the word is rarely used in modern everyday English, primarily in historical or technical contexts.
• Mill leat (compound n): a leat specifically built for a mill.
  • The mill leat was cleared of debris to restore water flow. (The channel serving the mill was cleaned.)

Synonyms

• Millrace: a current of water that drives a mill wheel, or the channel carrying it.
• Watercourse: a natural or artificial channel for water.
• Ditch: a narrow channel dug in the ground for drainage or irrigation.
• Canal: a man-made waterway for navigation or water supply.

Related Idioms

• No common idioms exist for "leat" due to its specialized and historical nature.

Phrasal Verbs

• No phrasal verbs are formed with "leat" as it is a noun only.