mill
[mɪɫ] noun, verb, proper noun
Forms mills milling milled miln
- noun A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and some are large and complex.) “Pepper has a stronger flavor when it is ground straight from a mill.”
- noun The building housing such a grinding apparatus; also, any similar building that houses a similarly material activity (such as weaving, fulling, dying, etc.); the place of business comprising such a building and its outbuildings and grounds. “My great-grandfather worked in a mill. He filled the flour sacks and then carried and loaded them.”
- noun A machine used for expelling the juice, sap, etc., from vegetable tissues by pressure, or by pressure in combination with a grinding, or cutting process; any similar apparatus that otherwise processes. “a cider mill; a cane mill”
- noun A machine for grinding and polishing. “a lapidary mill”
- noun A milling machine for machining of solid metal, wood, or plastic. “Several machinists were busy operating the lathes, mills, and drill presses on the shop floor.”
- noun A milling cutter used on such a machine. “After the drilling and tapping operations, we come in with a mill and do some contouring.”
- noun A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, flooring, and some other kinds of materials. “Once the billet gets through the 56-inch mill, it is ready for reheating.”
- noun The building complex housing such a plant; the place of business comprising such buildings and their grounds. “My grandfather worked in a mill. He operated machinery, did maintenance, and drove forklifts.”
- verb (transitive) To grind or otherwise process in a mill or other machine. “to mill flour”
- verb (transitive) To shape, polish, dress or finish using a machine.
- verb (transitive) To engrave one or more grooves or a pattern around the edge of (a cylindrical object such as a coin).
- verb (intransitive, followed by around, about, etc.) To move about in an aimless fashion. “I didn't have much to do, so I just milled around the town looking at the shops.”
- verb (transitive) To cause to mill, or circle around. “to mill cattle”
- verb (zoology, of air-breathing creatures) To swim underwater.
- verb (zoology, of a whale) To swim suddenly in a new direction.
- verb (transitive, slang) To beat; to pound.
- noun One thousandth of a US dollar, one-hundredth of a dime or one-tenth of a cent. “The U.S. has never minted a mill coin, but the Coinage Act of 1792 describes this and other subdivisions of the U.S. dollar.”
- noun One thousandth part in millage rates of property tax. “They predict that the rate will probably go up by several mills next year.”
- noun A line of three matching pieces in nine men's morris and related games.
- verb (transitive, collectible card games) To move (a card) from a deck to the discard pile.
Synonyms
factory works country milling roam wander millesimal thou mm burn manufacturing plant manufactory James Mill John Mill John Stuart Mill grinder milling machinery grind pulverization pulverisation mill about mill around
Etymology
From Middle English mylne, mille, from Old English mylen, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu (“mill”), from Late Latin molīna, molīnum, molīnus (“mill”), from Latin molō (“grind, mill”, verb), closely allied to Proto-Germanic *muljaną (“to crush, grind”) (see English millstone). Perhaps cognate with Milne (a surname). Doublet of moline, moulin, and blin.
Ultimately from Latin millesimum. The clipping comes by way of the clipped word, millimetre.
Back-formation from millstone, name of a Magic: The Gathering card with this effect (first printed 1994).
Clipping of million.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A money of account of the United States, having the value of the tenth of a cent, or the thousandth of a dollar.
- noun A machine for grinding or commuting any substance, as grain, by rubbing and crushing it between two hard, rough, or intented surfaces; as, a gristmill, a coffee mill; a bone mill.
- noun A machine used for expelling the juice, sap, etc., from vegetable tissues by pressure, or by pressure in combination with a grinding, or cutting process; as, a cider mill; a cane mill.
- verb To reduce to fine particles, or to small pieces, in a mill; to grind; to comminute.
Etymology [L. mille a thousand. Cf. Mile.]
Etymology [OE. mille, melle, mulle, milne, AS. myln, mylen; akin to D. molen, G. mühle, OHG. muli, mulin, Icel. mylna; all prob. from L. molina, fr. mola millstone; prop., that which grinds, akin to molere to grind, Goth. malan, G. mahlen, and to E. meal. Meal flour, and cf. Moline.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mill”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details