Leonardo da Vinci’s water-lifting device used a screw pump.
A screw pump moves liquid by rotating a helical surface inside a casing or channel. Leonardo drew and developed water-screw mechanisms as part of his broader studies of hydraulics, canals, drainage, and irrigation. The basic principle raises water through successive turns of the screw.
Leonardo did not invent the underlying screw principle: the Archimedes’ screw was known in antiquity. His importance lies in studying, illustrating, and adapting mechanical water-lifting systems. A screw pump is also different from Leonardo’s famous aerial screw, whose helical form was intended to produce lift rather than move water.