the.com/gristmill
A mill that turns grain into flour and farmers into capitalists.
means A mill, usually powered by water or wind, where grain is ground into flour or meal.
from From 'grist' — the grain brought to be ground — rooted in Old English 'grist,' related to 'grind.' Originally grist meant specifically the batch of corn a farmer carried to the miller, paying a toll or a share of the flour in return. 'Gristmill' simply names the building where that grinding happened, a fixture of village life for centuries before industrial milling took over.
- power source
- Water wheel, not elbow grease
- etymology
- Grist means grain brought to be ground
- toll system
- Miller kept a cut, not cash
- social role
- Village gossip hub before the saloon existed