Mine

Mine (mēn) , noun

[French]

See Mien. [Obsolete]

Mine (mīn) , pronoun and adjective

[Old English min, from Anglo-Saxon mīn; akin to Dutch mijn, Old Saxon, OFries., & Old High German mīn, German mein, Swedish & Danish min, Icelandic minn, Gothic meins my, mine, meina of me, and English me. r187. See Me, and compare My.]

Belonging to me; my. Used as a pronominal to me; my. Used as a pronominal adjective in the predicate; as, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” Rom. xii. 19. Also, in the old style, used attributively, instead of my, before a noun beginning with a vowel.

I kept myself from mine iniquity. — Bible (KJV) - Psalm xviii. 23

When a man deceives me once, says the Italian proverb, it is his fault; when twice, it is mine. — Bp. Horne

This title honors me and mine. — Shakespeare

She shall have me and mine. — Shakespeare

Mine is often used absolutely, the thing possessed being understood; as, his son is in the army, mine in the navy.

Mine , intransitive verb

[French miner, Latin minare to drive animals, in Late Latin also, to lead, conduct, dig a mine (compare English lode, and lead to conduct), akin to Latin minari to threaten; compare Sp. mina mine, conduit, subterraneous canal, a spring or source of water, Italian mina. See Menace, and compare Mien.]

To dig a mine or pit in the earth; to get ore, metals, coal, or precious stones, out of the earth; to dig in the earth for minerals; to dig a passage or cavity under anything in order to overthrow it by explosives or otherwise.

To form subterraneous tunnel or hole; to form a burrow or lodge in the earth; as, the mining cony.

Mine , transitive verb

To dig away, or otherwise remove, the substratum or foundation of; to lay a mine under; to sap; to undermine; hence, to ruin or destroy by slow degrees or secret means.

They mined the walls. — Hayward

Too lazy to cut down these immense trees, the spoilers... had mined them, and placed a quantity of gunpowder in the cavity. — Sir W. Scott

To dig into, for ore or metal.

Lead veins have been traced... but they have not been mined. — Ure

To get, as metals, out of the earth by digging.

The principal ore mined there is the bituminous cinnabar. — Ure

Mine , noun

[French, from Late Latin mina. See Mine, v. i.]

(Military) A subterranean cavity or passage

(a)

(Military) A pit or excavation in the earth, from which metallic ores, precious stones, coal, or other mineral substances are taken by digging; -- distinguished from the pits from which stones for architectural purposes are taken, and which are called quarries.

(b)

(Military) A cavity or tunnel made under a fortification or other work, for the purpose of blowing up the superstructure with some explosive agent.

Any place where ore, metals, or precious stones are got by digging or washing the soil; as, a placer mine.

A rich source of wealth or other good. [Figurative] — Shakespeare

(Military) An explosive device placed concealed in a location, on land or at sea, where an enemy vehicle or enemy personnel may pass through, having a triggering mechanism which detects people or vehicles, and which will explode and kill or maim personnel or destroy or damage vehicles. A mine placed at sea (formerly called a torpedo, see torpedo{2} (a)) is also called an marine mine and underwater mine and sometimes called a floating mine, even though it may be anchored to the floor of the sea and not actually float freely. A mine placed on land (formerly called a torpedo, see torpedo{3}), usually buried, is called a land mine.

Collocations (3)

Mine dial , a form of magnetic compass used by miners.

Mine pig , pig iron made wholly from ore; in distinction from cinder pig, which is made from ore mixed with forge or mill cinder.

gold mine , (a) a mine where gold is obtained. [Figurative] a rich source of wealth or other good; same as Mine 3.