English
miller
Miller comes from Middle English myllere, earlier mylnere, possibly from Old English *mylnere, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnārī ‘miller’.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mulīnārī‘miller’uncertain
- Old Englishc. 450–1150*mylnere‘miller’uncertain
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mylnere‘miller’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500myllere‘miller’
- Englishearliest quotation 1944miller
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mulīnārī‘miller’uncertain
- Old Englishc. 450–1150*mylnere‘miller’uncertain
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mylnere‘miller’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500myllere‘miller’
- Englishearliest quotation 1944miller
Earliest quotation: 1944, and December, Some Memories of Crewe Works—II: “Besides the usual run of machines, planers, millers, automatics,…”
Formed from mill + -er
Latin molō ‘to grind’
Late Latin molīna ‘mill’
Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu ‘mill’
Old English mylen
Middle English mylne ‘mill’
English mill
The story
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 (‘miller’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- ‘to grind, crush’
meal, mold, mild, mould, camo, mule, bonanza, melatonin, amalgam, moulin, maelstrom, mull, martel, moline, malleable, malm, amyl, 41 more
through Latin mola ‘millstone’
through Proto-West Germanic *mulīnārī
Today it means
noun A person who owns or operates a mill, especially a flourmill.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *mulīnārī / miller