1.
[syn: albatross, millstone]
2. any load that is difficult to carry;
3. one of a pair of heavy flat disk-shaped stones that are rotated against one another to grind the grain;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Millstone \Mill"stone`\, n.
One of two circular stones used for grinding grain or other
substance in a mill[1].
[1913 Webster]
No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to
pledge. --Deut. xxiv.
6.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The cellular siliceous rock called buhrstone is usually
employed for millstones; also, some kinds of lava, as
that Niedermendig, or other firm rock with rough
texture. The surface of a millstone has usually a
series of radial grooves in which the powdered material
collects.
[1913 Webster]
Millstone girt (Geol.), a hard and coarse, gritty
sandstone, dividing the Carboniferous from the
Subcarboniferous strata. See Farewell rock, under
Farewell, a., and Chart of Geology.
To see into a millstone or To see through a millstone, to
see into or through a difficult matter. (Colloq.)
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
millstone
n 1: (figurative) something that hinders or handicaps; "she was
an albatross around his neck" [syn: albatross,
millstone]
2: any load that is difficult to carry
3: one of a pair of heavy flat disk-shaped stones that are
rotated against one another to grind the grain
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
54 Moby Thesaurus words for "millstone":
bale, burden, burdening, burthen, cargo, charge, charging,
cheese grater, comminutor, crusher, cumber, cumbrance, deadweight,
drag, duty, encumbrance, freight, granulator, grater, grinder,
handicap, incubus, incumbency, kominuter, lading, levigator, load,
loading, masher, mill, mortar and pestle, nutmeg grater, onus,
oppression, overload, overtaxing, overweighting, pestle, pressure,
pulverizer, quern, quernstone, rock crusher, roller, saddling,
shredder, steamroller, superincumbency, surcharge, task, tax,
taxing, triturator, weight
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):
Millstone, NJ -- U.S. borough in New Jersey
Population (2000): 410
Housing Units (2000): 173
Land area (2000): 0.749397 sq. miles (1.940929 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.749397 sq. miles (1.940929 sq. km)
FIPS code: 46590
Located within: New Jersey (NJ), FIPS 34
Location: 40.499453 N, 74.590875 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Millstone, NJ
Millstone