# millstone

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmɪlstəʊn/ · frequency rank #45,518

## Definitions
1. A large round stone used for grinding grain.
2. A coarse-grained sandstone used for making such stones; millstone grit.
3. Ellipsis of millstone around one's neck, a heavy responsibility that is difficult to bear (referring to Matthew 18:6 in the Bible).

## Etymology
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).

## Easily confused with
- **milestone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/milestone-vs-millstone)

## Common misspellings (12)
`imllstone`, `millsotne`, `millsstone`, `millstnoe`, `millstoen`, `millstonne`, `millsttone`, `milltsone`, `milsltone`, `milstone`, `mlilstone`, `mmillstone`

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