mine 1 (m n)n. 1. a. An excavation in the earth from which ore or minerals can be extracted. b. The site of such an excavation, with its surface buildings, elevator shafts, and equipment. 2. A deposit of ore or minerals in the earth or on its surface. 3. An abundant supply or source of something valuable: This guidebook is a mine of information. 4. a. A tunnel dug under an enemy emplacement to destroy it by explosives, cause it to collapse, or gain access to it for an attack. b. An explosive device used to destroy enemy personnel, shipping, fortifications, or equipment, often placed in a concealed position and designed to be detonated by contact, proximity, or a time fuse. 5. A burrow or tunnel made by an insect, especially a corridor on a leaf made by a leaf miner. v. mined, min·ing, mines v.tr. 1. a. To extract (ore or minerals) from the earth. b. To dig a mine in (the earth) to obtain ore or minerals. 2. a. To tunnel under (the earth or a surface feature). b. To make (a tunnel) by digging. 3. To lay explosive mines in or under. 4. To attack, damage, or destroy by underhand means; subvert. 5. To delve into and make use of; exploit: mine the archives for detailed information. v.intr. 1. a. To excavate the earth for the purpose of extracting ore or minerals. b. To work in a mine. 2. To dig a tunnel under the earth, especially under an enemy emplacement or fortification. 3. To lay explosive mines. [Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *m na, probably of Celtic origin.] |
| mine 2 (mn) pron. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Used to indicate the one or ones belonging to me: The green gloves are mine. If you can't find your hat, take mine. adj. A possessive form of I Archaic Used instead of my before an initial vowel or the letter h. [Middle English, from Old English m n; see me-1 in Indo-European roots.]Our Living Language In Standard English, most possessive pronouns have different forms when used as nouns, or nominals, as in That book is yours, than when used as adjectives, as in That is your book. The two exceptions are his and its, which retain the same form in both usages. The nominal forms all end in -s except for mine. In some Southern U.S. and New England vernacular dialects, all nominal possessive pronouns end in -n, just like mine, as in That book is hern (but not "That's hern book") and Those cookies are ourn. Although forms such as hisn and hern are highly socially stigmatized, from a strictly linguistic standpoint these forms reflect a natural phenomenon in the development of all languages and dialects: Irregular patterns tend to be regularized, thereby eliminating exceptions to language "rules." Further, hisn, hern, ourn, yourn, and theirn have a long history in English. They arose in the Middle English period (c. 1100-1500) by analogy with mine and thine, forms that are older than my and thy and that can be traced to Old English (c. 449-1100). Originally, my and thy were used before nouns beginning with consonant sounds, as in my book, while mine and thine were used before nouns beginning with vowel sounds, as in mine eyes  as a and an still are. This distinction persisted into the 18th century. But as nominal pronouns, mine and thine remained unchanged. This invariant use of -n led to its use for all nominal possessive pronouns (except its, which usually is not used nominally, as in That book is its). In fact, these -n forms may be older than the current standard -s forms, which arose late in the Middle English period, by analogy to his. Most likely, hern, ourn, yourn, and theirn originated somewhere in the central area of southern England, since they can still be found throughout many parts of that region. In the United States, the forms appear to be increasingly confined to older speakers in relatively isolated areas, indicating that these features are at last fading from use. In some Southern-based vernacular dialects, particularly African American Vernacular English, the irregular standard English pattern for nominal possessive forms has been regularized by adding -s to mine, as in That book is mines. See Note at an1. |
mine 1
pron
1. something or someone belonging to or associated with me: it's a great favourite of mine
2. of mine belonging to or associated with me
Adjective
mine 2
Noun
1. a place where minerals, esp. coal, ores, or precious stones, are dug from the ground
2. a type of bomb placed in water or under the ground, and designed to destroy ships, vehicles, or people passing over or near it
3. a profitable source or abundant supply: a mine of information
Verb
[mining, mined]
1. to dig minerals from the ground: lead has been mined here for over three centuries
2. to dig a hole or tunnel, esp. in order to obtain minerals
3. to place explosive mines in or on: the retreating troops had mined the bridge [Old French]
| mine (mn) An underground excavation in the Earth from which ore, rock, or minerals can be extracted. |
Mine of egoists—Madden.
1. In land mine warfare, an explosive or material, normally encased, designed to destroy or damage ground vehicles, boats, or aircraft, or designed to wound, kill, or otherwise incapacitate personnel. It may be detonated by the action of its victim, by the passage of time, or by controlled means.
2. In naval mine warfare, an explosive device laid in the water with the intention of damaging or sinking ships or of deterring shipping from entering an area. The term does not include devices attached to the bottoms of ships or to harbor installations by personnel operating underwater, nor does it include devices which explode immediately on expiration of a predetermined time after laying. See also land mine warfare; mine warfare.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  mine - excavation in the earth from which ores and minerals are extractedadit - a nearly horizontal passage from the surface into a mine colliery, pit - a workplace consisting of a coal mine plus all the buildings and equipment connected with it copper mine - a mine where copper is dug from the ground excavation - a hole in the ground made by excavating mineshaft - excavation consisting of a vertical or sloping passageway for finding or mining ore or for ventilating a mine salt mine - a mine where salt is dug shaft - a long vertical passage sunk into the earth, as for a mine or tunnel silver mine - a mine where silver ore is dug strip mine - an open mine (usually for coal) where the seams run close to the surface sulfur mine, sulphur mine - a mine where sulphur is dug from the ground |
| 2. | mine - explosive device that explodes on contact; designed to destroy vehicles or ships or to kill or maim personnel explosive device - device that bursts with sudden violence from internal energy floating mine, marine mine - an explosive mine designed to destroy ships that bump into it booby trap, ground-emplaced mine, land mine - an explosive mine hidden underground; explodes when stepped on or driven over | |
| Verb | 1. | mine - get from the earth by excavation; "mine ores and metals" mining, excavation - the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth |
| 2. | mine - lay mines; "The Vietnamese mined Cambodia" countermine - destroy enemy mines with one's own mines; "We countermined the banks of the river" |
mine
verb 4. lay mines in or under, sow with mines
Translations
mine1 [maɪn] n (also: coal mine, gold mine) → Bergwerk nt;
mine2 [maɪn] pron → meine(r, s);
(bomb) → Mine f
vt (coal) → abbauen;
(beach etc) → verminen;
(ship) → eine Mine befestigen an +dat
mine2 [maɪn] pron → meine(r, s);
pron mine [main]
something which belongs to me Are these pencils yours or mine? He is a friend of mine (= one of my friends). myne خاصَّتي мой můj, moje, moji min; mit; mine mein/-e δικός μου (el) mío, (la) mía, (los) míos, (las) mías minu (oma) مال من minun mien, mienne, les miens, les miennes שֶׁלִי मेरा moj, moje enyém milik saya minn 私のもの 내 것 mano mans, manējs kepunyaan saya van mij min, mitt, mine mój, moja, moje itd. meu/minha al meu, a mea, ai mei, ale mele мой môj, moja, moje moj moje min, mitt, mina ของฉัน benim(ki) 我的 мій; що належить мені میرا của tôi 我的
mine : This pencil isn't yours — it's mine (not my one ).
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