Treadmill
/ˈtrɛd.mɪl/noun
A machine with a moving belt or set of steps that requires a person to walk or run in place.
Did you know?The modern treadmill was developed in 1818 as a prison labor device, and inmates could spend hours stepping on its rotating rungs to grind grain or pump water.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*drem- / *tred-
“A reconstructed root associated with stepping, running, or treading; the exact reconstruction is debated.”
Old English
Old English
tredan
“To tread, step on, or trample.”
Old English
Old English
mylen
“A mill, especially a machine for grinding grain; borrowed from Latin molina.”
Middle English
Middle English
treden; milne
“To tread or step; a mill for grinding or processing material.”
Early 19th Century
English
tread-mill
“A machine operated by people walking on steps or a wheel, notably used for forced prison labor.”
Modern English
English
treadmill
“A powered exercise machine, or figuratively, a repetitive and exhausting routine.”