windmill
Sign in to savethumb|Windmill in Sønderho, Fanø, Denmark. Dutch type, built in 1895.
AI overview
A windmill is a structure that uses wind power to perform work, traditionally grinding grain into flour or pumping water. Windmills have been important throughout history as a practical source of mechanical energy, allowing communities to process food and manage water resources before modern powered machinery became available.
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Article
15 sectionsContents
- Forerunners
- Horizontal windmills
- Vertical windmills
- Post mill
- Hollow-post mill
- Tower mill
- Smock mill
- Mechanics
- Sails
- Machinery
- Spread and decline
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|Windmill in Sønderho, Fanø, Denmark. Dutch type, built in 1895.
A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills). Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern periods; the horizontal or panemone windmill first appeared in Persia during the 9th century, and the vertical windmill first appeared in northwestern Europe in the 12th century.