Where does “millstone” come from?
Millstone comes from Middle English mylnston, from Old English mylenstān, a compound of mylen (mill) and stān (stone).
millstone (English): A large round stone used for grinding grain; A...
Definitions
- A large round stone used for grinding grain; A...
Ancestry of “millstone”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mylnston | millstone, grindstone |
| 2 | Old English | mylenstān | millstone |
| 3 | Old English | mylen | mill |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *mulīnu | — |
| 5 | Latin | molīna | — |
| 6 | Latin | mola | millstone; mill; ground meal |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |