miller

IPA/ˈmɪlə(r)/
KK[mˈɪlɚ]IPA/ˈmɪlər/

miller — noun

  • millersingular
  • millersplural

1. someone, especially in earlier times, whose job was running a mill that ground g

1.nounB2
Definition

someone, especially in earlier times, whose job was running a mill that ground grain into flour

Example

Before sunrise, Caleb the miller opened the grain mill by the river.

the miller opened the grain mill

Diya bought flour after the village miller finished grinding the farmers' wheat.

village miller grinding wheat

Common collocations
  • village miller
  • the old miller
  • miller's shop
  • grain miller
Synonyms
  • mill worker

    a broader phrase for anyone employed at a mill, not always the person directing the work

  • mill owner

    fits when the person owns the mill, while miller can also mean an employee who runs it

Grammar Patterns

the village miller

work as a miller

the miller ground the wheat

Usage Note

Mostly used for older farming life or historical settings. It can mean the owner of a mill or the person whose daily work is running it.

Common Mistakes

The miller baked bread for the whole village.
The miller ground the grain for the whole village.
A miller prepares flour at the mill; baking bread is the baker's job.

2. a workshop machine that cuts and shapes metal or other hard material with spinni

2.nounC1
Definition

a workshop machine that cuts and shapes metal or other hard material with spinning blades

Example

In the training shop, Christopher started the miller and shaped a flat edge.

start the miller in a shop

Ryo checked the drawing twice before the miller cut the metal block.

miller cut the metal block

Common collocations
  • old miller
  • bench miller
  • miller table
  • miller blade
Synonyms
  • milling machine

    the fuller and more common name for this tool

  • mill

    a shorter workshop term that can also refer to related cutting machines

  • machine tool

    a broader category that includes a miller and other shaping machines

Grammar Patterns

start the miller

use the miller on metal

clean the miller after use

Usage Note

Used mainly in workshop and engineering contexts. Many speakers say milling machine instead, so miller is a shorter specialist term.

Common Mistakes

The mechanic fixed the bike wheel on the miller.
The mechanic shaped the metal part on the miller.
A miller cuts or shapes solid material; it is not a general repair bench.

3. a kind of moth whose wings look dusty because they are covered with fine powder

3.nounC1
Definition

a kind of moth whose wings look dusty because they are covered with fine powder

Example

Élise found a pale miller resting near the porch light at dawn.

miller near a porch light

Lucía brushed a miller off the curtain before opening the window.

brush a miller off the curtain

Common collocations
  • pale miller
  • miller moth
  • dusty wings
  • porch-light miller
Synonyms
  • moth

    the general everyday word, wider in meaning than miller

  • miller moth

    a fuller label used when speakers want to name this dusty-winged type more exactly

Grammar Patterns

a pale miller

a miller landed on the curtain

dusty wings of a miller

Usage Note

Usually found in insect descriptions or country-life writing rather than everyday conversation. The name refers to the powdery look of the wings.

Common Mistakes

A miller chewed holes in the sweater.
A moth chewed holes in the sweater.
Miller names only certain powder-winged moths, not every moth around clothes.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Miller usually points to the person whose work centers on running a grain mill, and it often sounds historical because many people meet it in stories about village life. Mill worker is broader and can mean any employee at a mill, even someone who does not control the grinding itself. Mill owner focuses on ownership, while miller can also describe a hired worker. Mill operator is a more modern, technical phrase and can refer to many kinds of industrial mills, not only flour mills. Grinder is narrower in one way and broader in another: it stresses the grinding action, but it may refer to a person, a tool, or a machine rather than the traditional trade.

mill workermill ownermill operatorgrinder ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Miller was formed in English from mill plus the ending -er, which often names a person connected with a job or activity. The oldest sense was the person who ran a mill, and later the word was also extended to a type of cutting machine and to certain dusty-looking moths.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1