windmill

Also known as wind mill

thumb|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.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~16 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections

Contents

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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “windmill” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.