1. an ancient irrigation device consisting of a long pole balanced on a pivot, with a bucket on one end and a counterweight on the other, used to lift water from a river or well
Usage: historical; Middle Eastern

Examples

• The farmer used a shaduf to draw water from the Nile for his crops.
• Ancient Egyptian shadufs were essential tools for irrigation along the river.
• The shaduf’s counterweight made it easier to lift heavy buckets of water.
• Archaeologists discovered remains of shadufs at the excavation site.
• The simple but effective shaduf has been used for thousands of years.
• Workers operated the shaduf by pulling down on the bucket end.