Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French mine (c1220 in Old French in sense ‘underground cavity or excavation where metals and minerals are found’, 1300 in sense ‘mineral containing a metallic substance’, late 14th cent. in sense 3), probably < a continental Celtic word for ore, metal (compare Welsh mwyn mineral, mine (14th cent.), Early Irish méin ore, metal, Scottish Gaelic mèinn ore, mine); further etymology uncertain. Compare post-classical Latin mina (8th cent. (from 13th cent. in British sources) in sense 1, 9th cent. (from 12th cent. in British sources) in sense 2), Old Occitan mina (1382), Spanish mina (1400–21 in figurative use in sense 1c, 1490 in senses 1 and 2), Italian mina (1529 in sense 3), Portuguese mina (16th cent.). Compare also Middle Dutch mīne , minne (Dutch mijn ), Middle Low German mine , German Mine (c1600 in sense 3, second half of the 17th cent. in sense 1), Norwegian mine, Swedish mina (17th cent.), Danish mine, all ultimately from French (transmission into the Scandinavian languages is perhaps via German).A connection with post-classical Latin minare ‘to lead, drive’ is no longer generally maintained by etymologists of Romance languages.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian mīn (Frisian myn ), Middle Dutch mīn , mijn (Dutch mijn ), Old Saxon mīn , Old High German mīn (Middle High German mīn , German mein ), Old Icelandic minn , mínn , Norn (Shetland) min , Norwegian min , Old Swedish mín (Swedish min ), Old Danish min (Danish min ), Gothic meins < a suffixed form of the Germanic base of me pron.¹ Compare mines pron.A case-form (whether ablative, locative, or instrumental is uncertain) of this possessive adjective serves in all early Germanic languages as the genitive of the pronoun of the 1st person singular; compare Old English mīn , Old Frisian mīn , Old Saxon mīn , Old High German mīn , Old Icelandic mín , Gothic meina . The Old English mīn as genitive did not survive into Middle English (uses like malgre min being not survivals, but imitations of French). Compare:OE Cynewulf Elene 347 He on gesyhðe wæs, mægena wealdend, min on þa swiðran.OE St. Mary of Egypt (Julius) (2002) 104 Geanbida min on þa healfe Iordanen þe to worulde belimpeð.OE King Ælfred tr. Psalms (Paris) (2001) xxiv. 6 Beo þu min gemyndig, Drihten. In Old English and early Middle English inflected as a strong adjective (e.g. Old English mīnre and its reflex early Middle English mire (dative singular feminine)); the alternation of min (singular) and mine (plural) is still common in Middle English of the 14th cent. For the history of use of my and mine as possessive adjective see note s.v. my adj., int., and pron.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French miner, myner, French miner (c1200 in Old French in sense ‘to dig under land, a rock, a wall, etc., so as to make it collapse’, c1340 in figurative sense of ‘to destroy, wear down’, 15th cent. in sense ‘to hollow out by erosion’, c1550 in sense ‘to extract from a mine’, 1680 in sense 6), probably < mine mine n. Compare Old Occitan minar (14th–15th cent.), Italian minare (a1348), Spanish minar (1495), Portuguese minar (16th cent.), post-classical Latin minare (13th cent.), mineare (13th cent. in British sources); also Dutch mijnen , German minieren (early 16th cent.), Norwegian mine to blast, blow up, Swedish mina (second half of the 17th cent.), Danish mine . Compare undermine v.