millstone
English
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millstone¹
- /ˈmɪlstəʊn/ UK
- /ˈmɪlˌstoʊn/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English mylneston, milneston, from Old English mylenstān (“millstone”), from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu + *stain; equivalent to mill + stone; cognate with Danish møllesten, Middle Dutch molensteen (modern Dutch molensteen), West Frisian molestien, Norwegian Bokmål møllestein, Old Saxon mulinstēn (Middle Low German mȫlenstēn), Old High German mulinstein, mülstein (Middle High German mülstein, modern German Mühlstein).
noun millstones · mill-stone
- A large round stone used for grinding grain. As it is the circular Motion of the Mill-ſtone which brings the Corn out of the Hopper by Jerks, and with a Velocity depending upon that of the Stone, other Grains are always ſucceeding, which raiſe it anew, and the Flower just made being no longer preſs'd is carry'd away into the Boulting Mill by t
- A coarse-grained sandstone used for making such stones; millstone grit. In North America the millstone grit, and a grey sandy and slaty rock beneath it, occur three times; and it is exceedingly difficult to distinguish these rocks in hand specimens, without the aid of organized remains. And remains are almost exclusively confined to the grey rocks. Common quarrymen, far
- Ellipsis of millstone around one's neck, a heavy responsibility that is difficult to bear (referring to Matthew 18:6 in the Bible). Paying the mortgage every month is a millstone round their necks.
Millstone²
Where it comes from
From millstone, mill + stone.
proper noun
- A nuclear power station near Waterford, Connecticut, USA.
- An unincorporated community in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.
- A township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
- A borough in Somerset County, New Jersey.
- A tributary of the Raritan River in New Jersey; in full, the Millstone River.
Translations
Every language
noun large round stone used for grinding grain
| Español | muela |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 맷돌 maetdol |
| 日本語 | 碾き臼 hikiusu, ひき臼 hikiusu |
| 中文 | 石磨 shímò, 磨石 mòshí |
| हिन्दी | चक्की cakkī |
| Português | mó |
| Français | meule |
| Deutsch | Mühlstein |
| Italiano | mola, macina |
| Ελληνικά | μυλόπετρα mylópetra |
| Română | piatră de moară |
| Русский | жёрнов žórnov |
| Tiếng Việt | đá cối |
| العربية | رَحًى raḥan |
| עברית | רחיים \ רֵחַיִם rekháyim |
noun coarse-grained sandstone
| Français | meulière |
|---|
noun heavy responsibility
| Deutsch | Klotz am Bein |
|---|
Talk about this word "millstone." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/millstone. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. millstone. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/millstone "millstone." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/millstone.Cite this
@misc{millstone_2026,
title = {millstone},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/millstone},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
