Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
slug (2)
slug (3)
slug (4)
slugfest
sluggard
slugger
slugging average
sluggish
sluice
sluicegate
sluiceway
sluit
slum
slumber
slumber party
slumberous
slumgullion
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

sluice

sluice [ slooss ]


noun  (plural sluic·es)
Definition:
 
1. water channel: an artificial channel for a flow of water that is controlled by a valve or gate

2. floodgate: a valve or floodgate that controls the water in a sluice

3. water behind floodgate: a body of water contained by a floodgate

4. drainage channel: a channel for carrying away excess water

5. trough: a long inclined trough used to separate gold ore from sand or gravel

6. channel to move logs: an artificial stream or channel for floating logs



verb  (past and past participle sluiced, present participle sluic·ing, 3rd person present singular sluic·es)
Definition:
 
1. transitive verb flush something with water: to flood or clean something with a sudden heavy flow of water

2. transitive verb wash gold: to wash gold or other minerals in water flowing in a sluice

3. transitive and intransitive verb release something from sluice: to flow from a sluice, or let something out of a sluice

4. transitive verb move something in sluice: to float something, especially logs, down a sluice

[14th century. < Old French escluse< Latin exclus-, past participle of excludere (see exclude)]
Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft