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A circular hole formed in the rocky beds of rivers by the grinding action of stones or gravel whirled round by the water in what was at first a natural depression of the rock.

The fine particles to which any dry substance is reduced by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or into which it falls by decay; dust. Grind their bones to powder small. Shak.

-- Mesne process. See under Mesne. -- Process milling, the process of high milling for grinding flour. See under Milling. -- Reversible process (Thermodynamics), any process consisting of a cycle of operations such that the different operations of the cycle can be performed in reverse order with a reversal of their…

A pug mill. Pug mill, a kind of mill for grinding and mixing clay, either for brickmaking or the fine arts; a clay mill. It consists essentially of an upright shaft armed with projecting knives, which is caused to revolve in a hollow cylinder, tub, or vat, in which the clay is placed.

To reduce of fine powder or dust, as by beating, grinding, or the like; as, friable substances may be pulverized by grinding or beating, but to pulverize malleable bodies other methods must be pursued.

A mill for grinding grain, the upper stone of which was turned by hand; -- used before the invention of windmills and watermills. Shak. They made him at the querne grind. Chaucer.

To cut or dress roughly, as a grindstone.

the triangular stem and the leaves of which are edged with minute sharp teeth. -- Razor grinder (Zoöl.), the European goat-sucker. -- Razor shell (Zoöl.), any marine bivalve shell belonging to Solen and allied genera, especially Solen, or Ensatella, ensis, and Americana, which have a long, narrow, somewhat curved sh…

To bring to a certain state or condition by grinding, pounding, kneading, rubbing, etc.; as, to reduce a substance to powder, or to a pasty mass; to reduce fruit, wood, or paper rags, to pulp. It were but right And equal to reduce me to my dust. Milton.

Not affording rest; as, a restless chair. Cowper. Restless thrush. (Zoöl.) See Grinder, 3.

d by the fungus Læstadia Bidwellii. F. L. Scribner. -- Dry rot (Bot.) See under Dry. -- Grinder's rot (Med.) See under Grinder. -- Potato rot. (Bot.) See under Potato. -- White rot (Bot.), a disease of grapes, first appearing in whitish pustules on the fruit, caused by the fungus Coniothyrium diplodiella. F. L. Scr…

Tripoli (from the country from which it was formerly brought), used in all sorts of finer grinding and polishing in the arts, and for cleaning metallic substances. The name is also given to other friable siliceous stones applied to like uses.

A movable slab or rubber used in grinding or polishing a surface of stone.

called a pair of scissors. [Formerly written also cisors, cizars, and scissars.] Scissors grinder (Zoöl.), the European goatsucker. [Prov. Eng.]

To grind with the teeth, and with a crackling sound; to craunch. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U.S.]

rom; to hold a relative position; to have direction. Like a good miller that knows how to grind, which way soever the wind sits. Selden. Sits the wind in that quarter Sir W. Scott.

Matter found in troughs of grindstones after the grinding of edge tools. [Prov. Eng.] Sir W. Petty.

A custom of tenants to grind corn at the lord's mill. Cowell.

To strike; to beat; to crush. These cooks how they stamp and strain and grind. Chaucer.

The floating dust in flour mills caused by the operation or grinding. De Colange.