The Portuguese molinologist Dr. João Miguel dos Santos Simões was the first to use and define the term "molinology" as:

"The description and the study of mills or other mechanical devices, using the kinetic energy of moving water or wind as a motive power for driving, grinding, pumping, sawing, pressing and fulling machines. More particularly, molinology aims at the knowledge of those traditional engines which have been condemned to obsolete by modern technical and economic trends, thus being a chapter in the History of Technology and part of the History of Civilization" (May 15, 1962, see Transactions 1st Symposium Molinology, Cascais 1965, p. 41). "Today we consider muscle-powered mills to be part of molinology as well".