pistor, ōris, m. [pinso; root in Sanscr. pish-, to crush; cf. Gr. πτίσσω], one who pounds corn in a mortar or grinds it in a hand-mill, a miller (only so in Plaut.).
I Lit.: nec pistorem ullum nossent, nisi eum, qui in pistrino pinseret farinam (far?), Varr. ap. Non. 152, 14; cf. id. ib. 16: pistores tantum eos qui far pinserunt nominatos, At. Cap. ap. Plin. 18, 11, 28, § 107; Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 27; id. Trin. 2, 4, 6; Gell. 3, 3, 14.—
II Transf., a baker (class.): pistores Romae non fuere ad Persicum usque bellum ... ipsi panem faciebant Quirites, mulierum id opus erat, Plin. 18, 11, 28, § 107: ut tuus pistor bonum faceret panem, etc., Varr. ap. Gell. 15, 19, 2; Suet. Caes. 48: mitto hasce artes vulgares, coquos, pistores, lecticarios, Cic. Rosc. Am. 46, 134; id. Fin. 2, 8, 23; id. Arch. 46, 134; Sen. Ep. 15, 3, 24; Vulg. Gen. 40, 1. At Rome the bakers formed a separate guild, Inscr. Don. cl. 9, n. 11; Inscr. Grut. 81, 10; 255, 1; Dig. 3, 4, 1; 27, 1, 46.—
B A surname of Jupiter , because , when the Romans were besieged in the Capitol , he gave them the idea of hurling bread , as though they had an abundance of it , at the besieging Gauls , Ov. F. 6, 350; 394; Lact. 1, 20.—
C Pastry-cooks were also called pistores, Mart. 11, 31, 8; 14, 222; Petr. 60.