the.com/sawmill

means A mill where logs are mechanically sawn into planks, boards, and beams for building.

from A straightforward compound: 'saw,' the cutting tool whose name traces back to Old English 'sagu,' related to a Germanic root meaning 'to cut,' plus 'mill,' from Old English 'myln,' itself borrowed from Latin 'molina' (a place for grinding). The word simply names the machine by its job — once a mill ground grain with stones, sawmills emerged when water- and steam-powered blades took over the same mechanical principle to cut timber instead.