sluice

The definition of a sluice is a gate or channel that controls the flow of water.

(noun)

An example of a sluice is a gate that holds water back in a flood.

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See sluice in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

  1. an artificial channel or passage for water, having a gate or valve at its head to regulate the flow, as in a canal or millstream
  2. the water held back by or passing through such a gate
  3. a gate or valve used in opening or closing a sluice; floodgate
  4. any channel, esp. one for excess water
  5. ☆ a sloping trough or flume through which water is run, as in washing gold ore, carrying logs, etc.

Origin: ME scluse < OFr escluse & LL exclusa < fem. pp. of L excludere, to shut out, exclude

transitive verb sluiced, sluicing

  1. to draw off by or as by means of a sluice
    1. to wash with water flowing in or from a sluice
    2. to wash off with a rush of water: to sluice a deck with hoses
  2. ☆ to carry (logs, etc.) in a sluice

intransitive verb

to run or flow in or as in a sluice

See sluice in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. a. An artificial channel for conducting water, with a valve or gate to regulate the flow: sluices connecting a reservoir with irrigated fields.
    b. A valve or gate used in such a channel; a floodgate: open sluices to flood a dry dock. Also called sluice gate.
  2. A body of water impounded behind a floodgate.
  3. A sluiceway.
  4. A long inclined trough, as for carrying logs or separating gold ore.
verb sluiced sluiced, sluic·ing, sluic·es
verb, transitive
  1. To flood or drench with or as if with a flow of released water.
  2. To wash with water flowing in a sluice: sluicing sediment for gold.
  3. To draw off or let out by a sluice: sluice floodwater.
  4. To send (logs, for example) down a sluice.
verb, intransitive
To flow out from or as if from a sluice.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English scluse

Origin: , from Old French escluse

Origin: , from Late Latin exclūsa

Origin: , from Latin

Origin: , feminine past participle of exclūdere, to shut out; see exclude

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