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definitions

milling

[mil-ing]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR milling ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of subjecting something to the operation of a mill.
an act or process of producing plane or shaped surfaces with a milling machine.
Coining.
  1. an act or process of making a raised edge on a coin or the like.
  2. an act or process of making narrow, radial grooves on such a raised edge.
  3. a number of grooves so made.
Slang. a beating or thrashing.

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RELATED WORDS

pulverize, pound, crush, grate, powder, granulate, press, comminute

Origin of milling

1425–75; late Middle English. See mill1, -ing1

mill

1
[mil]

noun

a factory for certain kinds of manufacture, as paper, steel, or textiles.
a building equipped with machinery for grinding grain into flour and other cereal products.
a machine for grinding, crushing, or pulverizing any solid substance: a coffee mill.
any of various machines that modify the shape or size of a workpiece by rotating tools or the work: rolling mill.
any of various other apparatuses for shaping materials or performing other mechanical operations.
a business or institution that dispenses products or services in an impersonal or mechanical manner, as if produced in a factory: a divorce mill; a diploma mill.
Machinery. a cutter on a milling machine.
a steel roller for receiving and transferring an impressed design, as to a calico-printing cylinder or a banknote-printing plate.
Mining. a place or set of machinery for crushing or concentrating ore.
Slang. a boxing match or fistfight.

verb (used with object)

to grind, work, treat, or shape in or with a mill.
Coining.
  1. to make a raised edge on (a coin or the like).
  2. to make narrow, radial grooves on the raised edge of (a coin or the like).
to beat or stir, as to a froth: to mill chocolate.
Slang. to beat or strike; fight; overcome.

verb (used without object)

to move around aimlessly, slowly, or confusedly, as a herd of cattle (often followed by about or around).
Slang. to fight or box.

Origin of mill

1
before 950; Middle English milne, mille (noun), Old English myl(e)n < Late Latin molīna, noun use of feminine of molīnus of a mill, equivalent to Latin mol(a) mill + -īnus -ine1

Synonyms for mill

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mill ON THESAURUS.COM
15. crowd, wander, roam, teem.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for milling

Contemporary Examples of milling

Historical Examples of milling

British Dictionary definitions for milling

milling

noun

the act or process of grinding, cutting, pressing, or crushing in a mill
the vertical grooves or fluting on the edge of a coin, etc
(in W North America) a method of halting a stampede of cattle by turning the leaders in a wide arc until the herd turns in upon itself in a tightening spiral

mill

1

noun

a building in which grain is crushed and ground to make flour
a factory, esp one which processes raw materialsa steel mill
any of various processing or manufacturing machines, esp one that grinds, presses, or rolls
any of various small hand mills used for grinding pepper, salt, or coffee for domestic purposesSee also coffee mill, pepper mill
a hard roller for impressing a design, esp in a textile-printing machine or in a machine for printing banknotes
a system, institution, etc, that influences people or things in the manner of a factorygoing through the educational mill
an unpleasant experience; ordeal (esp in the phrases go or be put through the mill)
a fist fight
run of the mill ordinary or routine

verb

(tr) to grind, press, or pulverize in or as if in a mill
(tr) to process or produce in or with a mill
to cut or roll (metal) with or as if with a milling machine
(tr) to groove or flute the edge of (a coin)
(intr; often foll by about or around) to move about in a confused manner
(usually tr) rare to beat (chocolate, etc)
archaic, slang to fight, esp with the fists
Derived Formsmillable, adjective

Word Origin for mill

Old English mylen from Late Latin molīna a mill, from Latin mola mill, millstone, from molere to grind

mill

2

noun

a US and Canadian monetary unit used in calculations, esp for property taxes, equal to one thousandth of a dollar

Word Origin for mill

C18: short for Latin mīllēsimum a thousandth (part)

Mill

noun

James. 1773–1836, Scottish philosopher, historian, and economist. He expounded Bentham's utilitarian philosophy in Elements of Political Economy (1821) and Analysis of the Phenomena of the Human Mind (1829) and also wrote a History of British India (1817–18)
his son, John Stuart. 1806–73, English philosopher and economist. He modified Bentham's utilitarian philosophy in Utilitarianism (1861) and in his treatise On Liberty (1859) he defended the rights and freedom of the individual. Other works include A System of Logic (1843) and Principles of Political Economy (1848)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for milling
n.

"act or business of grinding in a mill," mid-15c., verbal noun from mill (v.1).

mill

n.1

"building fitted to grind grain," Old English mylen "a mill" (10c.), an early Germanic borrowing from Late Latin molina, molinum "mill" (source of French moulin, Spanish molino), originally fem. and neuter of molinus "pertaining to a mill," from Latin mola "mill, millstone," related to molere "to grind," from PIE *mele-, *mel- "to crush, grind," with derivatives referring to ground material and tools for grinding (cf. Greek myle "mill;" see mallet).

Also from Late Latin molina, directly or indirectly, are German Mühle, Old Saxon mulin, Old Norse mylna, Danish mølle, Old Church Slavonic mulinu. Broader sense of "grinding machine" is attested from 1550s. Other types of manufacturing machines driven by wind or water, whether for grinding or not, began to be called mills by early 15c. Sense of "building fitted with industrial machinery" is from c.1500.

mill

n.2

"one-tenth cent," 1786, an original U.S. currency unit but now used only for tax calculation purposes, shortening of Latin millesimum "one-thousandth," from mille "a thousand" (see million). Formed on the analogy of cent, which is short for Latin centesimus "one hundredth" (of a dollar).

mill

v.2

"to keep moving round and round in a mass," 1874 (implied in milling), originally of cattle, from mill (n.1) on resemblance to the action of a mill wheel. Related: Milled.

mill

v.1

"to grind," 1550s, from mill (n.1). Related: milled; milling.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with milling

mill

see grist for the mill; mills of the gods grind slowly; run of the mill; through the mill; tilt at windmills.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.