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l, usually in the form of a short cylinder, to the circumference of which spiral vanes or floats, placed radially, are attached, turned by the impact of one or more streams of water, conducted so as to strike against the floats in the direction of a tangent to the cylinder.

id wine. On that strong, turbid water, a small boat, Guided by one weak hand, was seen to float. Whittier.

wheel, commonly horizontal, variously constructed, but usually having a series of curved floats or buckets, against which the water acts by its impulse or reaction in flowing either outward from a central chamber, inward from an external casing, or from above downward, etc.; -- also called turbine wheel.…

The lower region of the sky. Floating about the undersky. Tennyson.

Floating about without any certain direction; driven to and fro. To heaven their prayers Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds Blown vagabond or frustrate. Milton.

In a loose and popular sense, any visible diffused substance floating in the atmosphere and impairing its transparency, as smoke, fog, etc. The vapour which that fro the earth glood [glided]. Chaucer. Fire and hail; snow and vapors; stormy wind fulfilling his word. Ps. cxlviii. 8.

A general name for any hollow structure made to float upon the water for purposes of navigation; especially, one that is larger than a common rowboat; as, a war vessel; a passenger vessel. [He] began to build a vessel of huge bulk. Milton.

impetuous; fierce; furious; severe; as, a violent blow; the violent attack of a disease. Float upon a wild and violent sea. Shak. A violent cross wind from either coast. Milton.

To cause to float; to keep from sinking; to buoy. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

one kidney, or, rarely, both kidneys, can be moved in certain directions; -- called also floating kidney, movable kidney. -- Wandering liver (Med.), a morbid condition of the liver, similar to wandering kidney. -- Wandering mouse (Zoöl.), the whitefooted, or deer, mouse. See Illust. of Mouse. -- Wandering spider (Z…

To serve the purpose of a watchman by floating properly in its place; -- said of a buoy. To watch over, to be cautiously observant of; to inspect, superintend, and guard.

A small floating cloud, supposed to indicate rain.

A floating mass formed in pools by the entangled filaments of a European fresh-water alga (Cladophora crispata).

A plant (Pistia stratiotes) which floats on tropical waters, and forms a rosette of spongy, wedge-shaped leaves. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

A blossom or plant of any species of the genus Nymphæa, distinguished for its large floating leaves and beautiful flowers. See Nymphæa.

ed upon the outside of a vessel, corresponding with the surface of the water when she is afloat on an even keel. The lowest line indicates the vessel's proper submergence when not loaded, and is called the light water line; the highest, called the load water line, indicates her proper submergence when loaded. Water-lin…

An aquatic American plant (Brasenia peltata) having floating oval leaves, and the covered with a clear jelly.

To play loosely; to move like a wave, one way and the other; to float; to flutter; to undulate. His purple robes waved careless to the winds. Trumbull. Where the flags of three nations has successively waved. Hawthorne.

Goods which, after shipwreck, appear floating on the waves, or sea.

ink with drunkards. Latimer. These wizards welter in wealth's waves. Spenser. He must not float upon his watery bier Unwept, and welter to the parching wind, Without the meed of some melodious tear. Milton. The priests at the altar . . . weltering in their blood. Landor.