Kivimyllyillä

Kivimyllyillä is a Finnish phrase formed from kivimylly, meaning stone mill, with the adessive plural suffix -illä. In Finnish, -llä/-illä can denote location or means, so kivimyllyillä translates roughly to “at the stone mills” or “with stone mills.” The form is grammatical rather than a proper noun, and it appears in sentences describing milling actions or places where milling occurs.

A kivimylly, i.e., a stone mill, is a device used to grind grain by means of two circular stones: a stationary lower stone (myllykivi) and a rotating upper runner stone (ylä- tai kärkikivi). Traditionally powered by water wheels or animal labor, stone milling was common in Finland from historical times into the early modern era. Mill complexes were frequently situated along rivers to exploit water power, and village life often revolved around local milling activities.

In historical and folkloric contexts, kivimyllyillä can be used to convey the setting or means of grinding, for example in descriptions of rural economies or traditional practices. In modern Finnish, most flour production has shifted to roller mills, but references to kivimyllyt and the phrase kivimyllyillä remain in heritage writing, museum displays, and studies of historical technology and rural life.

See also: kivimylly (stone mill), mylly (mill), sahan and other traditional milling technologies.