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# windmill

noun (a windmill, windmills); verb (windmill, windmills, windmilled — rare, to swing arms round)

«windmill» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A windmill is a building with large sails that the wind turns to grind grain or pump water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#m1)
2. A windmill is also a modern tall tower with blades that makes electricity (more exactly a wind turbine). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#m2)
3. A windmill is a toy on a stick with paper or plastic blades that spin in the wind (UK: a pinwheel or windmill). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#m3)

### In the lessons

Used in science and energy lessons (renewable energy, wind power), history (flour mills, the Netherlands), and stories («Don Quixote tilting at windmills»).

### Examples

- The old windmill ground wheat into flour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#x1)
- The Netherlands is famous for its windmills. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#x2)
- Windmills on the farm pump water for the cattle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#x3)
- The hills are covered with modern windmills making electricity. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#x4)
- We made a paper windmill in science. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#x5)
- The sails of the windmill turned slowly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#x6)
- Wind power is a clean source of energy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#x7)
- A windmill stood upon the hill, proud to look at, and it was proud too. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/#x8)

### Note

Compound: wind + mill. Strictly, machines that make electricity are «wind turbines», but people often call them windmills. In America a toy windmill is a «pinwheel».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «windmill» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/windmill/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«windmill» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/windmill.html) on Mova free.