Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| moulin | /mu.lɛ̃/ | masculine |
| broyeur | /bʁwa.jœʁ/ | masculine |
In a kitchen context, the term refers to a gadget used to grind substances like coffee, pepper or spices. You can specify the substance by using the construction moulin à [substance], such as moulin à café for a coffee grinder, moulin à poivre for a pepper grinder or moulin à épices for a spice grinder.
Which one should you use?
Use moulin for small-scale kitchen tools used for spices, coffee or pepper, which often implies a traditional or manual mechanism. Use broyeur for heavy-duty machinery or industrial devices that crush, shred or grind large amounts of material, such as a garbage disposal or a wood chipper.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify what is being ground, use the construction moulin à [substance]. For example, moulin à café is a coffee grinder.
How do you pronounce it?
/mu.lɛ̃/
Did you know?
- In France, the famous Moulin Rouge literally translates to 'Red Mill', referring to the large windmill that originally stood on the site.
- While broyeur refers to a grinder, the verb broyer is also used idiomatically in the phrase broyer du noir, which means to feel depressed or dwell on gloomy thoughts.
- The word moulin is used for both a small pepper grinder and a massive watermill or windmill.
Examples in context
- Je mouds mon café à la main, avec un moulin à manivelle.I grind my coffee by hand with a coffee grinder with a crank handle.This sentence illustrates using moulin to describe a coffee grinder with a crank handle.Tatoeba #919159 by sacredceltic, translation #3078170 by patgfisher
- Après avoir essayé mon nouveau métier à tisser, j'ai fait mon lit et réparé le moulin à café.After I tried out my new loom, I made my bed and repaired the coffee grinder.This sentence shows the use of moulin when referring to a coffee grinder.Tatoeba #461437 by MUIRIEL, translation #532682 by wma
- L'appareil broyeur est essentiel pour cette industrie.The grinding device is essential for this industry.
- Il me faut un moulin à poivre.I need a pepper grinder.
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are in the kitchen preparing a salad.
- ChloéNathan, tu peux me passer le moulin à poivre ?Nathan, can you pass me the pepper grinder?
- NathanTiens, le voilà.Here, there it is.
- ChloéMerci, il est un peu lourd.Thanks, it is a bit heavy.
- NathanC'est normal, il est en métal.That's normal, it is made of metal.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grinder” translations and entries moulin, broyeur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
