Leonardo da Vinci proposed a water screw as a rotating machine for raising water from a lower level.
A water screw uses a helical surface inside a cylinder or around a central shaft. As the screw turns, pockets of water are carried upward. Leonardo studied and drew screw-based mechanisms as part of his broader interest in pumps, canals, and hydraulic engineering.
The underlying principle was much older than Leonardo. The machine is traditionally associated with Archimedes of Syracuse, who lived in the third century BCE. Leonardo’s contribution was to investigate, adapt, and document mechanical forms in Renaissance engineering rather than invent the basic principle from nothing.
Water screws remain useful for moving water, including in drainage and wastewater systems. They are distinct from Leonardo’s aerial screw, whose purpose was proposed vertical flight rather than water lifting.