# mill

> English word · Noun · IPA /mɪl/ · frequency rank #3,769

## Definitions
1. A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and some are large and complex.)
2. The building housing such a grinding apparatus; also, any similar building that houses a similarly material activity (such as weaving, fulling, dying, etc.); the place of business comprising such a building and its outbuildings and grounds.
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; any similar apparatus that otherwise processes.
4. A machine for grinding and polishing.
5. A milling machine for machining of solid metal, wood, or plastic.
6. A milling cutter used on such a machine.
7. A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, flooring, and some other kinds of materials.
8. The building complex housing such a plant; the place of business comprising such buildings and their grounds.
9. An establishment that handles a certain type of situation or procedure routinely, or produces large quantities of an item without much regard to quality. (The notion of churning out massive amounts indiscriminately underlies the figurative metaphor.)
10. An institution or pseudo-institutional business awarding credentials (such as diplomas, degrees, certificates, or certifications) of either dubious value or fraudulent nature; one selling essays or other documents for the buyers (usually students) to fraudulently pass off as their own.
11. An engine.
12. A boxing match or fistfight.
13. 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.
14. An excavation in rock, transverse to the workings, from which material for filling is obtained.
15. A passage underground through which ore is shot.
16. The raised or ridged edge or surface made in milling anything, such as a coin or screw.
17. A prison treadmill.
18. A military prison, either guardhouse or post prison.
19. A delousing station: a cootie mill.
20. A typewriter used to transcribe messages received.

## Etymology
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 moline, moulin, and blin.

## Easily confused with
- **ML** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-ml)
- **mix** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mix)
- **min** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-min)
- **MLB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mlb)
- **mit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mit)
- **mir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mir)
- **MLA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mla)
- **mol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mol)
- **MLM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mlm)
- **MLK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mlk)
- **miz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-miz)
- **mim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mim)
- **MLG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mlg)
- **mind** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mind)
- **miss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-miss)
- **mine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mine)
- **mini** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mini)
- **mint** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mint)
- **mold** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mold)
- **mist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mill-vs-mist)

## Common misspellings (3)
`imll`, `mlil`, `mmill`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mill