Etymologically
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minera

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈmɪ.nɛ.ra][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈmiː.ne.ra][1]

Forms

minera f (genitive minerae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin mina2 (“ore, mine”).[2] The DMLBS compares Anglo-Norman minere, Middle English minere and Old French miniere;[3] Wiktionary takes it as probably from Middle French miniere, formed from Old French mine with the suffix ⟨-iere⟩.[1] The eLexicon Polonorum labels the word Celtic.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DMLBS records the word, in spellings such as mineiria and manaria, from the Pipe Roll of 1130, which speaks of a silver mine.[3]

Semantic evolution

Throughout the Middle Ages it named a mine and the ore taken from it.[2][3][5] Writers on chemistry glossed it as a vein of ore,[6][1] and Niermeyer also records the military sense of a sap, a tunnel dug under a wall.[2] In Renaissance Latin it kept the sense of a mine of gold and silver.[7]

Timeline

  • 1130 – The Pipe Roll records the farm of a silver mine.[3]
  • c. 1195 – A charter grants land together with an iron mine.[3]
  • 1271 – A Hungarian grant gives the right to search for ores and metals in the mountains.[5]
  • 1306 – A Polish document lists salt, lead and other ores.[4]
  • 1444 – Piccolomini writes of inexhaustible mines of gold and silver.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) A mine.[1][2][3]
  2. (Medieval Latin) ore, a mineral.[1][2][5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A vein of ore.[1][6]
  4. (Medieval Latin, warfare) A sap, a tunnel dug under fortifications.[2]

Usage notes

Niermeyer files the word under minarium, with the variants menarium, minaria and minera;[2] the DMLBS heads it minaria, also minarium, minera, mineria and minerium.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  5. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  6. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  7. ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de