miller

Etymology

From Middle English myllere, mellere, from earlier mylnere, possibly from an Old English *mylnere, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnārī (“miller”), equivalent to mill + -er; cf. also Late Latin molīnārius. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Muller (“miller”), Dutch mulder, molenaar (“miller”), Low German Möller (“miller”), German Müller (“miller”), Danish møller (“miller”), Norwegian Bokmål møller (“miller”), Norwegian Nynorsk mylnar, møllar (“miller”), Swedish mjölnare (“miller”), Icelandic mylnari (“miller”). Compare also Middle English milward, mulward (“miller”), from Old English mylenweard (“miller”, literally “mill-keeper”) (> English Millward (surname)).

noun

1. A person who owns or operates a mill, especially a flour mill.
2. (outdated) A milling machine.
   Besides the usual run of machines, planers, millers, automatics, centre lathes, cranes, etc., there were several power stations, the rolling mills for strip material and for 60 ft. rails, and all the steel furnaces with their complicated systems of flues. If variety is the spice of life, then there was plenty here. 1944 November and December, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 341
3. Any of several moths that have powdery wings, especially Acronicta leporina and moths of the genus Agrotis.
4. The common name of a flour-smelling mushroom, Clitopilus prunulus.