Mint Meaning
/mɪnt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA building or institution where money (originally, only coins) is produced under government licence.
nounA vast sum of money; (by extension) a large amount of something.
Sentence Examples
It costs more to mint a penny than the penny itself is worth.
What would you like after dinner? Coffee, tea, or mint water?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The government decided to ____ new gold coins with the queen's image.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The gardener decided to plant fresh ____ near the kitchen so that he could easily pick some leaves for his herbal tea and cooking.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English mynt, münet (“money, coin”), from Old English mynet (“coin”), from late Proto-West Germanic *munit, from Latin monēta (“place for making coins, coined money”), from the temple of Juno Moneta (named for Monēta mother of the Muses), where coins were made. Doublet of money and manat. The verb is from the noun; Old English mynetian (“to mint”) is a parallel formation.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A mint of phrases in his brain."
— c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
"For some time past the legal currency in the various Provinces has been insufficient for use. Formerly the two Provinces of Fuchien and Kuangtung minted some large, round copper coins of excellent workmanship that were said, by the people after they were put into circulation, to be convenient."
— 1914, Wen Pin Wei, chapter IV, in The Currency Problem in China, Columbia University Press, →OCLC, page 111:
"The Central Bank discontinued minting kopeks gradually. In 2012, the regulatory body stopped minting one-kopek and five-kopek coins. In 2018, the Central Bank stopped minting kopeks completely and now mints only ruble coins."
— 2019 May 14, “Russia stops minting kopeks”, in Invest Foresight:
"Titles […] as may appeare to be easily minted"
— a. 1627 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “Considerations Touching a Warre with Spaine. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany Works of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. […], London: […] I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, […], published 1629, →OCLC, page 24:
"China’s newly minted national parks don’t just safeguard famous keystone species such as Siberian tigers, giant pandas and Hainan gibbons. They are also designed to preserve the shrinking ecosystems that support such iconic wildlife, ranging from sweltering (tropical jungles in the southern province of Hainan to the chilly maple forests of northern Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces bordering Siberia."
— 2022 November 17, Paul Salopek, “A ‘Slow Storytelling’ Writing and Photography Workshop Boosts Conservation in China”, in National Geographic:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The government decided to ____ new gold coins with the queen's image.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The gardener decided to plant fresh ____ near the kitchen so that he could easily pick some leaves for his herbal tea and cooking.