sluice

¹sluice

noun \ˈslüs\

Definition of SLUICE

1

a : an artificial passage for water (as in a millstream) fitted with a valve or gate for stopping or regulating flow

b : a body of water pent up behind a floodgate

2

: a dock gate : floodgate

3

a : a stream flowing through a floodgate

b : a channel to drain or carry off surplus water

4

: a long inclined trough usually on the ground; especially : such a contrivance paved usually with riffles to hold quicksilver for catching gold

Origin of SLUICE

Middle English sluse, alteration of scluse, from Anglo-French escluse, from Late Latin exclusa, from Latin, feminine of exclusus, past participle of excludere to exclude

First Known Use: 15th century

Other Civil Engineering Terms

asphalt, ballast, barrage, cantilever, infrastructure

Rhymes with SLUICE

crouse, crus, cruse, deuce, douce, goose, juice, loose, moose, mousse, noose, nous, puce, rhus, ruse, Russ, schuss, Seuss, spruce, truce, use, Zeus

²sluice

verb

sluicedsluic·ing

Definition of SLUICE

transitive verb

1

: to draw off by or through a sluice

2

a : to wash with or in water running through or from a sluice

b : to drench with a sudden flow : flush

3

: to transport (as logs) in a sluice

intransitive verb

: to pour as if from a sluice

Examples of SLUICE

1. <he sluiced the gutters with lots of water in order to make sure they were clear>

First Known Use of SLUICE

1596

Related to SLUICE

Synonyms

irrigate, rinse, flush, wash, wash out

Related Words

deluge, engulf, flood, inundate, swamp; flow, gush, rush, stream; douche, hose; drench, saturate, soak; douse (also dowse), slosh, splash