mine

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. lode, vein, deposit; open pit, burrow, excavation; explosive, bomb; source, treasure trove. See concavity, store.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

Syn. my own, belonging to me, possessed by me, mine by right, owned by me, left to me, from me, by me; see also our .

n.

1. [A source of natural wealth]

Syn. pit, well, shaft, diggings, excavation, adit, workings, works, quarry, deposit, vein, lode, dike, ore bed, placer, matrix, pay dirt*, pay streak*, bonanza*; see also tunnel .

Types of mines, sense 1, include: placer, surface, open pit, dredging, open cut, strip; quartz, coal, iron, copper, silver, gold, diamond, underhand stope, bottom stope, overhand stope, top stope, rill stope, opencast stope, shrinkage stope.

2. [An explosive charge]

Syn. landmine, ambush, trap; see bomb , explosive , weapon 1 .

Types of mines, sense 2, include: smart, floating, anchor, ratchet, magnetic, aerial, antipersonnel, castrator*, Bouncing Betty*, Leaping Lena*; S-mine, Teller (German), claymore, countermine, delayed action mine, time bomb, booby trap. v.

1. [To dig for minerals]

Syn. excavate, burrow, pan, stope, drill, work, quarry, wash for gold; see also dig 1 .

2. [To lay mines]

Syn. sow with mines, prepare mine fields, set booby traps; see defend 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

quarry, deposit, excavation, shaft, tunnel, pit, vein, lode, claim, diggings, bonanza.

WORD FIND

• claim: stake

• coal cart: corf

• coal dust: culm

• combustible gasses in: firedamp

• discovery of ore: strike

• drain: sump

• entranceway: adit, portal

• flume for washing out gold ore: sluice

• fraudulently scatter minerals about to deceive prospective buyer: salt

• glacial mineral deposit of loose particles: placer

• largest vein: mother lode

• lung disease caused by coal dust: black lung disease

• ore deposit: vein, lode

• oxygen, absence or low level in shaft: chokedamp

• passageway, main: gangway

• potential area containing ore: prospect

• residue of: tailings

• rich vein: bonanza

• search for ore: prospect

• stratum: seam

• waterway: tailrace

see cave

II

v.

dig, quarry, excavate, tunnel, prospect, extract, pan, delve.