Mill vs Nill - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between mill and nill

is that mill is a grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc while nill is shining sparks thrown off from melted brass.

As verbs the difference between mill and nill

is that mill is to grind or otherwise process in a mill or other machine while nill is to be unwilling; will not (+ infinitive).

As a proper noun Mill

is {{surname}.

mill

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (etyl) (m).

Noun

(en noun)

A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc.

The building housing such a grinding apparatus.

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.

A machine for grinding and polishing.

A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, etc.

A building housing such a plant.

An establishment that handles a certain type of situation routinely, such as a divorce mill, etc.

(label) an engine

(label) a boxing match, fistfight

{{quote-book, year=1914

, year_published=2009 , edition=HTML , editor= , author=Edgar Rice Burrows , title=The Mucker , chapter= citation , genre= , publisher=The Gutenberg Project , isbn= , page= , passage=The name of the "white hope" against whom Billy was to go was sufficient to draw a fair house, and there were some there who had seen Billy in other fights and looked for a good mill . }}

(label) A hardened steel roller with a design in relief, used for imprinting a reversed copy of the design in a softer metal, such as copper.

(label) An excavation in rock, transverse to the workings, from which material for filling is obtained.

(label) A passage underground through which ore is shot.

A milling cutter.

(label) A card or deck that relies on the strategy of putting cards directly from the draw pile into the discard pile.

Synonyms

* factory, works

Derived terms

{{der3, , cog mill , miller , millhouse , milling , mill race, millrace , millstone , mill wheel, millwheel , paper mill , pecker mill , pulp mill , rice mill , rolling mill , run-of-the-mill , rumor mill, rumour mill , steel mill , trouble at t' mill , watermill , windmill}}

Etymology 2

Ultimately from (etyl) (m).

Noun

(en noun)

An obsolete coin with value one-thousandth of a dollar, or one-tenth of a cent.

One thousandth part, particularly in millage rates of property tax.

Synonyms

* (one thousandth part) permille,

Coordinate terms

* (one thousandth part) * percent * basis point

Derived terms

* millage

Etymology 3

From the noun .

Verb

(en verb)

(label) To grind or otherwise process in a mill or other machine.

(label) To shape, polish, dress or finish using a machine.

(label) To engrave one or more grooves or a pattern around the edge of (a cylindrical object such as a coin).

To move about in an aimless fashion.

To swim underwater.

To beat; to pound.

* Rudyard Kipling

(Thackeray)

To pass through a fulling mill; to full, as cloth.

To roll (steel, etc.) into bars.

To make (drinking chocolate) frothy, as by churning.

(label) To place cards into the discard pile directly from the draw pile.

Synonyms

* (move about in an aimless fashion) roam, wander

Derived terms

* millable * nonmilled * unmilled

References

* *

External links

* (wikipedia "mill") * ----

nill

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) nillen, from (etyl) nillan, nellan, . Cognate with (etyl) nelle.

Verb

To be unwilling; will not (+ infinitive ).

*1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queen) , III.v:

*:I here auow thee neuer to forsake. / Ill weares he armes, that nill them vse for Ladies sake.

*1600 , (Edward Fairfax), The (Jerusalem Delivered) of (w), XII, lxi:

*:What I nill tell you ask (quoth she) in vain, / Nor mov'd by prayer, nor constrain'd by power.

To be unwilling.

*:So the knight of Ireland armed him at all points,, and rode after a great pace, as much as his horse might go; and within a little space on a mountain he had a sight of Balin, and with a loud voice he cried, Abide, knight, for ye shall abide whether ye will or nill , and the shield that is to-fore you shall not help.

*:• :

*::Soo the knyght of Irelonde armed hym at al poyntes /and rode after a grete paas as moche as his hors myght goo / and within a lytel space on a montayne he had a syghte of Balyn / and with a lowde voys he cryed abyde knyght / for ye shal abyde whether ye will or nyll / and the sheld that is to fore you shalle not helpe

*1955 , , (The Lord of the Rings) (Appendices):

*:I must indeed abide the Doom of Men, whether I will or I nill .

To reject, refuse, negate.

*1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queen) , II.vii:

*:Certes (said he) I n’ill thine offred grace, / Ne to be made so happy do intend.

Derived terms

* willy-nilly

Etymology 2

Compare Irish and Gaelic (neul) star, light. Compare (nebula).

Noun

Shining sparks thrown off from melted brass.

Scales of hot iron from the forge.

(Knight)

English auxiliary verbs