I. ˈslüs noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English scluse, from Middle French escluse, from Late Latin exclusa dam, sluice, from feminine of Latin exclusus, past participle of excludere to shut out, exclude — more at exclude
1.
a. : an artificial passage for water (as in a millstream) fitted with a valve or gate for stopping or regulating the flow
b. : a body of water pent up behind a floodgate or water gate
2. : a device for letting water in or out or holding it back: as
a. : a dock gate : water gate , floodgate
b. : valve , pipe
3.
a. : a stream flowing through a floodgate
b. : a conduit (as a channel or stream) that serves to drain or carry off surplus water
4. : a long inclined trough or flume usually on the ground (as for washing auriferous earth or floating down logs) ; specifically : such a contrivance paved usually with riffles to hold quicksilver for catching gold
5. : something suggestive of a sluice: as
a. : a rushing or pouring stream : spate
stopped the sluice of free advice — F.B.Gipson
great sluices of rain — Carleton Beals
b. : a pent-up flood of emotion
open the sluices of popular revolt — D.J.Dallin
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to cause to flow or pour forth by or as if by floodgates : draw off by or through a sluice or sluiceway
by this fresh blood that from thy manly breast I cowardly sluiced out — John Marston
2.
a. : to wash with or in a stream of water running through or from a sluice
b. : to drench, wash, or scour with gushes or floods (as of water) : flush , douse
sluice earth in mining
sluice a pavement with a hose
hydraulic jets sluice away soil layers bearing tin ore — W.R.Moore
trying to sluice his face without wetting his cuffs — Richard Llewellyn
3.
a. : to transport (as logs) in a sluice or float through a sluiceway
b. : to drive (logs) by releasing a sluice of water
intransitive verb
: to pour from or as if from a sluice
rain sluicing down to plaster his ragged shirt to his body — Marcia Davenport
Synonyms: see pour