Mines

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /maɪnz/

Definitions

1. Excavated areas where valuable substances are obtained through removal processes
2. Sites dug into the earth for retrieving minerals or ores ; hidden or buried explosive weapons designed to detonate upon contact or proximity
3. Excavated tunnels or pits from which valuable geological materials are taken ; devices planted below the surface to explode when triggered

Etymology: "Mines" is the possessive form of "mine," which is itself the old possessive of "I," from Old English "mīn." English once gave possessive pronouns two forms: "my" stood before a noun ("my house"), while "mine" stood alone or after a noun ("the house is mine"). The final -s that "mines" carries is the same ending found in "ours," "yours," and "theirs," which were built the same way, by adding -s to a pronoun form. The noun "mines" for excavations is a separate matter from the pronoun. It is the plural of "mine," the underground pit or tunnel dug to extract ore or coal, and the verb "mines" is the third-person singular of "to mine." In these uses the word has no possessive meaning at all; the shared spelling is a coincidence of two different words.

Synonyms: excavations, tunnels