gastric mill

noun

, Zoology.

1. a gizzard in decapod crustaceans, as lobsters, crabs, and shrimps, having an arrangement of teeth and small bones for grinding food and bristles for filtering small particles.
2. gizzard ( def 2 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of gastric mill¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The front one contains three long teeth which meet laterally and grind the food; this is known as the gastric mill.

From Project Gutenberg

Gastric mill: The first half of the stomach, where food is ground.

From Project Gutenberg

The whole apparatus, in fact, serves as a kind of gizzard, and is known as the gastric mill.

From Project Gutenberg

It is among the Malacostraca, however, and especially in the Decapoda, that the “gastric mill” reaches its greatest perfection.

From Project Gutenberg