mine

¹

[ mahyn ]

pronoun

1. a form of the possessive case of I used as a predicate adjective:

   The yellow sweater is mine.

2. something that belongs to me:

   Mine is the red car.

3. Archaic. my (used before a word beginning with a vowel or a silent h, or following a noun):

   mine eyes; lady mine.

mine

²

[ mahyn ]

noun

1. an excavation made in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores, coal, precious stones, etc.
2. a place where valuable minerals may be obtained, either by excavation or by washing the soil.
3. a natural deposit of valuable minerals.
4. an abundant source; store:

   The notes at the end of her book are a mine of information on the period she's writing about.

   Synonyms: hoard, fund, stock, supply

5. a device containing a charge of explosive in a watertight casing, floating on or moored beneath the surface of the water for the purpose of blowing up an enemy ship that strikes it or passes close by it.
6. a device containing a charge of explosive, typically buried under a shallow layer of dirt for the purpose of blowing up enemy personnel or vehicles that strike it or pass close by it; landmine.
7. a subterranean passage made to extend under an enemy's works or position, as for the purpose of securing access or of depositing explosives for blowing up a military position.
8. Entomology. a passageway in the parenchyma of a leaf, made by certain insects.

verb (used without object)

, mined, min·ing.

1. to dig in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores, coal, etc.; make a mine:

   Many people would mine for gold and silver in the area during the Gold Rush.

2. to extract coal, ore, or the like, from a mine:

   My grandfather mined to make his living, and it was hard on his body.

3. to make subterranean passages.
4. to place or lay mines, as in naval or other military operations.

verb (used with object)

, mined, min·ing.

1. to dig in (earth, rock, etc.) in order to obtain ores, coal, etc.:

   They mined the Blue Ridge Mountains for quartzite, copper, iron, and manganese.

2. to extract (ore, coal, etc.) from a mine:

   Workers mined this tin in Thailand, likely in the late 19th century.

3. to avail oneself of or draw useful or valuable material from:

   I'll have to mine every resource available to finish my term paper on time.

4. to use, especially a natural resource:

   The proposal to mine the nation's oldest forests was met with disapproval.

5. to make subterranean passages in or under; burrow.
6. to make (passages, tunnels, etc.) by digging or burrowing.
7. to dig away or remove the foundations of.
8. to place or lay explosive mines in or under:

   The squad was sent to mine an enemy supply road.

9. Digital Technology. (of a computer, computer network, software application, etc.) to solve sets of mathematical problems that are used to verify cryptocurrency transactions and that, when solved, yield a unit of that currency in exchange, especially bitcoin.
10. Agriculture. to grow crops in (soil) over an extended time without fertilizing.
11. to remove (a natural resource) from its source without attempting to replenish it.

mine

¹

/ maɪn /

noun

1. a system of excavations made for the extraction of minerals, esp coal, ores, or precious stones
2. any deposit of ore or minerals
3. a lucrative source or abundant supply

   she was a mine of information

4. a device containing an explosive designed to destroy ships, vehicles, or personnel, usually laid beneath the ground or in water
5. a tunnel or sap dug to undermine a fortification
6. a groove or tunnel made by certain insects, esp in a leaf

verb

1. to dig into (the earth) for (minerals)
2. to make (a hole, tunnel, etc) by digging or boring
3. to place explosive mines in position below the surface of (the sea or land)
4. to undermine (a fortification) by digging mines or saps
5. another word for undermine

mine

²

/ maɪn /

pronoun

1. something or someone belonging to or associated with me

   mine is best

2. of mine
   belonging to or associated with me

determiner

1. preceding a vowel an archaic word for my 1

   mine eyes

   mine host

mine

/ mīn /

1. An underground excavation in the Earth from which ore, rock, or minerals can be extracted.

Derived Forms

• ˈminable, adjective

Other Words From

• un·mined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mine¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mīn; cognate with Old Norse mīn, German mein, Gothic meina; my, me

Origin of mine²

First recorded in 1275–1325; 1875–80 mine ²fordef 5; (for the verb) Middle English minen, from Old French miner (cognate with Provençal, Spanish minar, Italian minare ), from Vulgar Latin mīnāre (unrecorded), probably from a Celtic base akin to Middle Irish méin, Welsh mwyn “ore, mineral”; (for the noun) Middle English from Middle French, perhaps noun derivative of miner “to mine” (compare Medieval Latin mina “mine, mineral”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of mine¹

C13: from Old French, probably of Celtic origin; compare Irish mein, Welsh mwyn ore, mine

Origin of mine²

Old English mīn; compare Old High German, Old Norse mīn, Dutch mijn

Idioms and Phrases

see back to the salt mines ; gold mine ; your guess is as good as mine .

Example Sentences

Police are hesitant to go into the mine as some of those underground may be armed.

From BBC

On Thursday, community leader Thembile Botman told the BBC that volunteers had used ropes and seat belts to pull a body out of the mine.

From BBC

“It’s a continuum of there’s this IP you can mine, you’re thinking about how you can tap into both older audiences and newer audiences in a risk-averse environment, while still exploring genres that are relatively safe,” said Alisa Perren, director of the Center for Entertainment and Media Industries at University of Texas at Austin.

From Los Angeles Times

“Your guess is as good as mine,” McVay said, adding, “It’s been some challenging, unique circumstances for sure. You certainly hope so, but here we are 10 weeks in and it just seems like you’re getting more resilient to handle it.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Look, he has his skill sets and I have mine,” Hoover says.

From Los Angeles Times