I.a place where corn is pounded, a pounding-mill, mill; usually worked by horses or asses; but sometimes a lazy or otherwise bad slave was forced to perform this labor (cf. mola).
I. Lit.: “ut ferratus in pistrino aetatem conteras,” Plaut. Bacch. 4, 6, 11: “in pistrinum tradi,” id. Most. 1, 1, 16: “in pristrino credo, ut convenit fore,” id. Ps. 5, 1, 9: “te in pistrinum, Dave, dedam usque ad necem,” Ter. And. 1, 2, 28: “oratorem in judicium, tamquam in aliquod pistrinum, detrudi et compingi videbam,” Cic. de Or. 1, 11, 46; Pall. 1, 42.—As a term of reproach, of bad slaves: “pristrinorum civitas,” Plaut. Pers. 3, 3, 15.—
II. Transf.
A. Because bread was usually baked at the mill, a bakery: “exercere pistrinum,” Suet. Aug. 4: “aliquem in pistrinum submittere,” Sen. Ep. 90, 22; “swine were fed there upon the bran,” Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 27.—
