Millrace
/ˈmɪl.reɪs/noun
A channel that carries water to or from a mill.
Did you know?Millrace is a compound of Old English roots, and its “race” is the same ancient word behind a rushing stream, not a competition—proof that English once treated speed like a force of nature.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
mylen
“mill”
Old English
OE
ræs
“a running, rush, or course”
Middle English
ME
mille race
“a channel carrying water to or from a mill”
16th Century
English
millrace
“the watercourse serving a mill”
Modern English
English
millrace
“a channel that carries water to or from a mill”