n.
Pronunciation: ' mil
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English mille, from Old English mylen, from Late Latin molina, molinum, from feminine and neuter of molinus of a mill, of a millstone, from Latin mola mill, millstone; akin to Latin molere to grind ― more at MEAL
Date: before 12th century
1 : a building provided with machinery for grinding grain into flour
2 a : a machine or apparatus (as a quern) for grinding grain b : a machine for crushing or comminuting
3 : a machine that manufactures by the continuous repetition of some simple action
4 : a building or collection of buildings with machinery for manufacturing
5 a : a machine formerly used for stamping coins b : a machine for expelling juice from vegetable tissues by pressure or grinding
6 : MILLING MACHINE , MILLING CUTTER
7 a : a slow, laborious, or mechanical process or routine b : one that produces or processes people or things mechanically or in large numbers <a diploma mill > <a rumor mill >
8 : a difficult and often educational experience ― used in the phrase through the mill
9 : the engine of an automobile or boat