denotes "a handmill," consisting of two circular stones, one above the other, the lower being fixed. From the center of the lower a wooden pin passes through a hole in the upper, into which the grain is thrown, escaping as flour between the stones and falling on a prepared material below them. The handle is inserted into the upper stone near the circumference. Small stones could be turned by one woman (mill-grinding was a work deemed fit only for women and slaves; cp. Judges 16:21 ); larger ones were turned by two (cp. Matthew 24:41 , under MILL), or more.
Still larger ones were turned by an ass (onikos), Matthew 18:6 , RV, "a great millstone" (marg., "a millstone turned by an ass"), indicating the immediate and overwhelming drowning of one who causes one young believer to stumble; Mark 9:42 (where some mss. have lithos multikos, "a stone of a mill," as in Luke 17:2 ); Revelation 18:22 (some mss. have it in ver. 21, see below)."of a mill," occurs in Luke 17:2 (see above).
"made of millstone," is used with lithos, "a stone;" and with the adjective megas, "great," in the best mss. in Revelation 18:21 (some have the word mulos; see A).