mills

Noun

mill (plural mills)

1. A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and some are large and complex.)
   • Pepper has a stronger flavor when it is ground straight from a mill.
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.
   • My great-grandfather worked in a mill. He filled the flour sacks and then carried and loaded them.
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.
   • a cider mill; a cane mill
4. A machine for grinding and polishing.
   • a lapidary mill
5. A milling machine for machining of solid metal, wood, or plastic.
   • Several machinists were busy operating the lathes, mills, and drill presses on the shop floor.
6. A milling cutter used on such a machine.
   • After the drilling and tapping operations, we come in with a mill and do some contouring.

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