noun
millstone
MILL-stohn/ˈmɪlstəʊn/
A massive circular stone used in grinding grain.
The millstone turns slowly, crushing wheat into flour beneath its weight.
Etymology
A millstone is literally a heavy stone used for grinding grain. The figurative burden sense draws on a biblical image, turning that physical weight into a problem or responsibility that weighs someone down.
In context
keep out of debt it is the hardest of all taskmasters the most cruel of all oppressors it is a millstone about the neck
More examples
- Deep grooves in the millstone help guide the grain outward.
- The miller replaces a cracked millstone before grinding more corn.
- Two millstones grind the grain between their rough surfaces.
Forms
millstone · millstones
Similar words
- grindstone
- Usually refers to a stone for sharpening tools, not grinding grain.