mill

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See also: Mill

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

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 moulin.

Noun

mill (plural mills)

  1. A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc.
    Hyponym: pepper mill
    Pepper has a stronger flavor when it is ground straight from a mill.
  2. The building housing such a grinding apparatus.
    Hyponyms: flour mill, grist mill, windmill
    My grandfather worked in a mill.
    • 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, chapter XV, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk), page 112:
      […] for the Townsfolk will go to thy mill, and grind their corn […] at their own good pleasure; nor can I hinder them, since they are free men.
    • 1880 January 1, The Locomotive, volume 1, number 1, Hartford, Conn.: The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection And Insurance Company, page 9:
      On Sept. 9 a boiler exploded in Hanke's flouring mill, […]
  3. 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.
    a cider mill; a cane mill
  4. A machine for grinding and polishing.
    a lapidary mill
  6. A milling machine for machining of solid metal, wood, or plastic.
    lathes, mills, and drill presses
  7. The raised or ridged edge or surface made in milling anything, such as a coin or screw.
  8. A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, etc.
    Hyponyms: paper mill, steel mill, textile mill
  9. A building housing such a plant.
  10. (figurative) An establishment that handles a certain type of situation or procedure routinely, or produces large quantities of an item without much regard to quality.
    divorce mill; puppy mill
  11. (figurative, derogatory) An institution awarding educational certificates not officially recognised
  12. (informal) An engine.
  13. (informal) A boxing match, fistfight.
    • 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, , published 1848, →OCLC:
      […] he is relieved from present responsibility to the Chicken, by the absence of that game head of poultry in the country, training (at Toots's cost) for his great mill with the Larkey Boy.
    • 1902 October 1, The Sydney Sportsman, page 5, column 6:
      The mill lasted four rounds, when giddy little Ettie was declared the victress.
    • 1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Mucker‎, All-Story Cavalier Weekly:
      The name of the "white hope" against whom Billy was to go was sufficient to draw a fair house, and there were some there who had seen Billy in other fights and looked for a good mill.
  14. (die sinking) A hardened steel roller with a design in relief, used for imprinting a reversed copy of the design in a softer metal, such as copper.
  15. (mining) An excavation in rock, transverse to the workings, from which material for filling is obtained.
  16. (mining) A passage underground through which ore is shot.
  17. A milling cutter.
  18. (historical) A prison treadmill.
    • 1837, James Williams, A Narrative of Events Since the First of August, 1834, page 9:
      Next morning they put me on the treadmill along with the others: At first, not knowing how to dance it, I cut all my shin with the steps; they did not flog me then — […] They keep on putting her on the mill for a week, and flog her every time […]
  19. (World War I– World War II, US military slang) A military prison, either guardhouse or post prison.
  20. (World War I– World War II military slang) A delousing station, cootie mill.
  21. (CB radio slang) A typewriter used to transcribe messages received.
    • 1941, QST, volume 25, numbers 2-6, page 90:
      In other words, get a mill in your operating position by hook or crook and use it regularly. At the N.C.R. Radio Schools touch typing is taught at the same time code proficiency is advanced.
    • 1986, Ham Radio Magazine, volume 19, page 66:
      You can read it all right, but the pencil seems to be getting a little sluggish — better make a grab for a "mill."
Alternative forms
Synonyms
Derived terms
in toponyms of Canada
in toponyms of the United States
Descendants
  • Sranan Tongo: miri
  • → Hindi: मिल (mil)
Translations
milling cutter — see milling cutter
treadmill — see treadmill
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

mill (third-person singular simple present mills, present participle milling, simple past and past participle milled)

  1. (transitive) To grind or otherwise process in a mill or other machine.
    to mill flour
  2. (transitive) To shape, polish, dress or finish using a machine.
  3. (transitive) To engrave one or more grooves or a pattern around the edge of (a cylindrical object such as a coin).
  4. (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.
    • 1895 November, Rudyard Kipling, The Second Jungle Book, London, New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC:
      The deer and the pig and the nilghai were milling round and round in a circle of eight or ten miles radius, while the Eaters of Flesh skirmished round its edge.
    • 2021 July 8, Sheera Frenkel, Cecilia Kang, “Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg’s Partnership Did Not Survive Trump”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:
      As guests milled around them, he [Zuckerberg] described his goal of turning every person in the country with an internet connection into a Facebook user.
  5. (transitive) To cause to mill, or circle around.
    to mill cattle
  6. (zoology, of air-breathing creatures) To swim underwater.
  7. (zoology, of a whale) To swim suddenly in a new direction.
  8. (transitive, slang) To beat; to pound.
  9. To pass through a fulling mill; to full, as cloth.
  10. (transitive) To roll (steel, etc.) into bars.
  11. (transitive) To make (drinking chocolate) frothy, as by churning.
  12. (intransitive) To undergo hulling.
    This maize mills well.
  13. (intransitive, slang) To take part in a fistfight; to box.
  14. (transitive, mining) To fill (a winze or interior incline) with broken ore, to be drawn out at the bottom.
  15. (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) To commit burglary.
    • 1611, Thomas Middleton, “The Roaring Girl”, in Arthur Henry Bullen, editor, The Works of Thomas Middleton‎, volume 4, published 1885, act 5, scene 1, pages 128–129:
      Ben mort, shall you and I heave a bough, mill a ken, or nip a bung, and then we'll couch a hogshead under the ruffmans, and there you shall wap with me, and I'll niggle with you.
    • 1818, Walter Scott, chapter 6, in The Heart of Midlothian:
      And why not?—You would think little of peaching and hanging him for this Scotch affair.—Rat me, one might have milled the Bank of England, and less noise about it.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Ultimately from Latin millesimum.

Noun

Missouri mill token.

mill (plural mills)

  1. An obsolete coin worth one thousandth of a US dollar, or one tenth of a cent.
  2. One thousandth part, particularly in millage rates of property tax.
Synonyms
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

Noun

mill (plural mill)

  1. (informal) Alternative form of mil (“million”)

Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

mill (plural mills)

  1. A line of three matching pieces in nine men's morris and related games.

Etymology 5

Back-formation from millstone, name of a Magic: The Gathering card with this effect (first printed 1994).

Alternative forms

  • Mill (in the sense of "a strategy")

Verb

mill (third-person singular simple present mills, present participle milling, simple past and past participle milled)

  1. (transitive, collectible card games) To move (a card) from a deck to the discard pile.
  2. (transitive, Hearthstone) To destroy (a card) due to having a full hand.
    • 2018 October 9, Ozzie Mejia, “Hearthstone: 4 decks to watch during the 2018 HCT Fall Championship”, in Shacknews‎:
      what happens when a Quest Rogue uses Vanish and Malygos gets milled?
Synonyms
Derived terms

Noun

mill (countable and uncountable, plural mills)

  1. (collectible card games) Discarding a card from one's deck.
    • 2018 October 14, Jay Castello, “Pro Hearthstone player burns key card with perfect comedic timing”, in Rock Paper Shotgun‎:
      he’s had some fairly infamous mills in other events. Back in 2017’s Spring Championships, he burned the crucial Archmage Antonidas
  2. (collectible card games) A strategy centered on depleting the opponent's deck.
    • 2018 June 16, Wavelength, “Efficient Off-Meta Decks Spotlight”, in Fade2Karma‎, archived from the original on 28 November 2021:
      Kingsane Rogue will forever have a negative connotation attached to it because it began as a mill deck, and mill is one of the most tilt-inducing strategies in fantasy card games.
    • 2018 September 24, Collin MacGregor, “Top 10 Guilds of Ravnica Commander Cards in Magic The Gathering”, in heavy.‎:
      Great for mill, control, or even Voltron decks, Mnemonic Betrayal is a fantastic addition regardless of your strategy.
Derived terms
Translations

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lighter, Jonathan (1972) “The Slang of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, 1917-1919: An Historical Glossary”, in American Speech‎, volume 47, number 1/2, pages 78–79

Further reading

Albanian

Etymology

Possibly from Proto-Albanian *meila (“fastening (of a knife)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to attach, fasten”).

Noun

mill m (plural mille, definite milli, definite plural millet)

  1. sheath

Declension

Declension of mill
indefinite definite
singular plural singular plural
nominative mill mille milli millet
accusative millin
dative milli milleve millit millevet
ablative millesh

References

  1. ^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) chapter MILL, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 266

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin milium.

Pronunciation

Noun

mill m (plural mills)

  1. millet

Derived terms

Further reading

Irish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old Irish millid (“spoils, ruins, destroys”).

Verb

mill (present analytic milleann, future analytic millfidh, verbal noun milleadh, past participle millte)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) spoil; mar, ruin
    1. ravish
Conjugation
conjugation of mill (first conjugation – A)
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present millim milleann tú;
millir† 		milleann sé, sí millimid milleann sibh milleann siad;
millid† 		a mhilleann; a mhilleas /
a milleann*; a milleas* 		milltear
past mhill mé; mhilleas mhill tú; mhillis mhill sé, sí mhilleamar; mhill muid mhill sibh; mhilleabhair mhill siad; mhilleadar a mhill /
ar mhill* 		milleadh
past habitual mhillinn / millinn‡‡ mhillteá / millteᇇ mhilleadh sé, sí / milleadh sé, s퇇 mhillimis; mhilleadh muid / millimis‡‡; milleadh muid‡‡ mhilleadh sibh / milleadh sibh‡‡ mhillidís; mhilleadh siad / millidís‡‡; milleadh siad‡‡ a mhilleadh /
a milleadh* 		mhilltí / millt퇇
future millfidh mé;
millfead 		millfidh tú;
millfir† 		millfidh sé, sí millfimid;
millfidh muid 		millfidh sibh millfidh siad;
millfid† 		a mhillfidh; a mhillfeas /
a millfidh*; a millfeas* 		millfear
conditional mhillfinn / millfinn‡‡ mhillfeá / millfeᇇ mhillfeadh sé, sí / millfeadh sé, s퇇 mhillfimis; mhillfeadh muid / millfimis‡‡; millfeadh muid‡‡ mhillfeadh sibh / millfeadh sibh‡‡ mhillfidís; mhillfeadh siad / millfidís‡‡; millfeadh siad‡‡ a mhillfeadh /
a millfeadh* 		mhillfí / millf퇇
subjunctive present go mille mé;
go millead† 		go mille tú;
go millir† 		go mille sé, sí go millimid;
go mille muid 		go mille sibh go mille siad;
go millid† 		— go milltear
past dá millinn dá millteá dá milleadh sé, sí dá millimis;
dá milleadh muid 		dá milleadh sibh dá millidís;
dá milleadh siad 		— dá milltí
imperative millim mill milleadh sé, sí millimis milligí;
millidh† 		millidís — milltear
verbal noun milleadh
past participle millte

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Etymology 2

Noun

mill f (genitive singular mille, nominative plural milleanna)

  1. Alternative form of meill (“flabby, loose, skin; blubber lip; unshapely mouth”)
  2. (botany) pendant bud or flower
Declension
Declension of mill

Second declension

Bare forms

Case Singular Plural
Nominative mill milleanna
Vocative a mhill a mhilleanna
Genitive mille milleanna
Dative mill milleanna

Forms with the definite article

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an mhill na milleanna
Genitive na mille na milleanna
Dative leis an mill

don mhill

leis na milleanna

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
mill mhill not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

Manx

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old Irish millid (“spoils, ruins, destroys”). Cognate with Irish mill and Scottish Gaelic mill.

Verb

mill (past vill, future independent millee, verbal noun milley, past participle millit)

  1. destroy, ruin
  2. spoil, tarnish
  3. (as vision) blur
  4. disfigure
  5. corrupt
  6. mess, tumble, rustle
    Ny mill m'olt. ― Don't tumble my hair.

Etymology 2

From Old Irish mil, from Proto-Celtic *meli, from Proto-Indo-European *mélid. Cognate with Irish mil, Scottish Gaelic mil, Latin mel, Ancient Greek μέλι (méli). Akin to millish and blass.

Noun

mill m (genitive singular molley, plural millyn)

  1. honey

References

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
mill vill unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old Irish millid (“spoils, ruins, destroys”).

Verb

mill (past mhill, future millidh, verbal noun milleadh, past participle millte)

  1. destroy, spoil, ruin

Etymology 2

Noun

mill m

  1. inflection of meall:
    1. genitive singular
    2. plural

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical Lenition
mill mhill
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

  • Edward Dwelly (1911) chapter MILL, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
  • G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), chapter MILLID, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Wiradjuri

Alternative forms

Noun

mill

  1. (anatomy) eye

Yagara

Noun

mill

  1. Alternative form of mil.

References

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia