What Leonardo da Vinci machine was designed to pump water using a screw mechanism?

The Leonardo da Vinci machine designed to pump water with a screw mechanism was an Archimedes’ screw.

Leonardo studied and drew screw-based water-lifting machines, building on the ancient device traditionally associated with Archimedes. A helical surface inside a tube or around a cylinder carries water upward as the screw rotates. The mechanism can lift water continuously and is useful where a moderate rise is needed.

Leonardo’s drawings show his interest in improving machines already known from antiquity. He examined the shape, housing, and motion of the screw rather than claiming to invent the underlying principle. This is why the standard name remains Archimedes’ screw.

The device is not the same as Leonardo’s aerial screw, which was a speculative flight design. One moved water through a rotating helix; the other was intended to push against air. Modern versions of the water screw are still used for drainage, irrigation, and wastewater treatment.