A shallow trough or pit used in mining to separate and wash ore, especially tin or other minerals, using water and gravity.
From Cornish or Welsh origin, related to medieval mining practices in Southwest England. The term comes from regional mining vocabulary where buddles were essential equipment for concentrating valuable minerals from crushed rock.
Buddles are a perfect example of how specialized vocabulary survives in specific industries—Cornish miners developed elaborate systems of buddles that became so effective they influenced mining across Europe and eventually Australia!
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