quern
/kwəːn
/noun
A simple hand mill for grinding corn, typically consisting of two circular stones, the upper of which is rotated or rubbed to and fro on the lower one.A 19th century hand-powered barn winnowing machine using volunteers' muscle power will then separate the grain from the chaff before milling, using machines from replica Stone Age querns to a Bamford mill powered by a 1930 tractor....
- Around 3500 BC the keeping of cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats began, along with weaving of cloth and making of pottery; later on came the growing, drying by fire, and milling in querns of grain.
- Rotary querns, quantities of cattle bone, shellfish, and carbonized barley grains show the agricultural aspects of everyday life in the settlement.
Origin
Old English cweorn(e), of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse kvern and Dutch kweern.