What type of pump did Leonardo da Vinci study for lifting water with pistons?

Leonardo da Vinci studied reciprocating pumps for lifting water with pistons.

A reciprocating pump moves a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. Valves control the direction of flow: one stroke draws water into the chamber, and the opposite stroke pushes it out through another passage. Leonardo’s hydraulic studies examined piston mechanisms, valves, cylinders, and the relationship between motion and water pressure.

The principle was known before Leonardo, so he should not be credited as the inventor of the reciprocating pump. His notebooks are important because they record careful mechanical investigations and possible improvements to devices used in engineering and water management.

A reciprocating pump differs from a centrifugal pump, which uses a rotating impeller to accelerate fluid outward. It also differs from the Archimedes’ screw, which carries water in helical pockets. The piston-and-valve action identifies Leonardo’s studied machine as reciprocating.