mine ¹

v. mined, min·ing, mines

[Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *mīna, probably of Celtic origin.]

mine ²

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 US 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 1700s. 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 is rarely 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

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mine

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

mine

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

ˈminable, ˈmineable adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mine¹

pron.

1. a form of the possessive case of I used as a predicate adjective: The yellow sweater is mine.

2. that or those belonging to me: Mine is on the left.

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

[before 900; Middle English; Old English mīn my; c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old High German mīn]

mine²

n., v. mined, min•ing. n.

1. an excavation made in the earth for the purpose of extracting mineral substances, as ore, coal, or precious stones.

2. a natural deposit of such substances.

3. an abundant source; store: a mine of information.

4. an explosive device floating on or moored just below the surface of the water, used for blowing up an enemy ship that strikes it or passes close by it.

5. a similar device used on land against personnel or vehicles; land mine.

6. an underground passage dug under an enemy's position so as to deposit explosives that will blow up the position.

7. a passageway in the tissue of a leaf, made by certain insects.

8. to dig in the earth for the purpose of extracting a mineral substance; make a mine.

9. to extract a mineral substance from a mine.

10. to make subterranean passages.

11. to place or lay mines, as in military or naval operations.

12. to dig in (earth) in order to extract a mineral substance.

13. to extract (a mineral substance) from a mine.

14. to use for extracting useful or valuable material from: to mine every reference book available.

15. to use, esp. a natural resource: to mine the nation's forests.

16. to make subterranean passages in or under; burrow.

17. to make, as a passage or tunnel, by digging or burrowing.

18. to dig away or remove the foundations of.

19. to place or lay military or naval mines under.

20. to remove (a natural resource) from its source without attempting to replenish it.

[1275–1325; (v.) Middle English < Old French miner < Vulgar Latin *mīnāre, probably < a Celtic base *mein-; (n.) Middle English < Middle French, perhaps n. derivative of miner; compare Medieval Latin mina mine, mineral]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

mine

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.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

Mine

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

mine

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011