mulino

Forms

mulino m (plural mulini)^[1] The variant molino is less common;^[2][3][4] DEI notes that the dialects mostly have /u/ in the first syllable, except Veneto and parts of Tuscany.^[2][3][4] Old plurals are the feminine le mulina and le mulinora.^[5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin molīnum (“mill”), the neuter of the adjective molīnus (“of a mill”), from Latin molō (“to grind”).^{[7][8][9][2][1]} DELI finds the adjective in Tertullian (2nd–3rd century) and the noun in Ammianus (4th century); DEI cites the noun from Cassiodorus in the 6th century.^[7][4] Wiktionary also allows a shortening of saxum molīnum (“grinding stone”).^[1]

The word is panromance except for Romanian: French moulin, Catalan molí, Spanish molino, Portuguese moinho, Sardinian molinu and Friulian mulin; it passed into Basque buri.^[8][10][4] The verb is from Proto-Italic *melō, from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to crush, grind”), the root also of mola (“millstone”).^[11][1] Its cognates include Ancient Greek μύλη (múlē, “mill”) and the English word meal.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI and GRADIT date the word to 1238, in Matasala, for the building where grain is milled and the machine that does it;^[7][9] Dante has the form molino (1300–1313).^[7][9]

Semantic evolution

Besides the building and its machinery, Old Italian used the word for a mulinello, a whirling device, and the dictionaries record mulino a vento and ad acqua for the windmill and the watermill.^[12][9] In modern use it covers any grinding plant, for cement, gypsum or colours, and floating mills on barges once used the current of rivers.^{[13][14][9][13][15]}

Combattere con i mulini a vento, to fight imaginary enemies, comes from the famous episode of Don Quixote.^[7][2] Other phrases are tirare l'acqua al proprio mulino, to look after one's own interest, and parlare come un mulino a vento, to talk nonstop.^[9][13] From the noun come mulinello (14th century), a whirl of water or wind, and the verb mulinare (16th century).^[7][8] Spanish remolino “whirlwind”, from the same Latin word, was borrowed into Italian as remolino.^[8][10]

Timeline

• 1238 – Matasala records mulino.^[7][9]
• 1300–1313 – Dante uses the form molino.^[7]
• 14th century – Mulinello is recorded for a whirl of water or wind.^[7]
• Before 1537 – N. Machiavelli uses mulinare for thoughts that spin.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A mill: the building where wheat and other cereals are ground, and the machine that grinds them: portare il grano al mulino.^[9][3][1]
2. A windmill or watermill in particular.^[9]
3. Any plant for grinding materials such as cement or gypsum.^[9][3][16]
4. A device that turns round an axis; a weathervane; a reel for winding yarn.^[9]

Word family

• mulinare
• mulinello
• mulinaro
• molino

Related words

• mola
• macinare
• Latin molō
• French moulin

Usage notes

A rare adjective mulino “of a mule”, recorded from before 1512, is a separate word: GRADIT and Treccani derive it from mulo, the GDLI takes it as a learned borrowing of Latin mūlīnus.^[9][15][17]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2528
5. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
6. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
10. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
12. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti
13. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
15. ^ a b Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
16. ^ Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org
17. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 11, 65