miner

[mahy-ner]

noun

1. Also called mineworker. a person who works in a mine, especially a commercial mine producing coal or metallic ores.

   His ancestors were slate miners in Wales who emigrated to the United States.

2. a mechanical device used in mining.

   She made her money by developing a miner for extracting ores from the ocean floor.

3. any of several Australian birds of the genus Manorina, feeding on honey and typically having a loud call.

4. Entomology.,  any of various insect larvae that create tunnels in the parenchyma of leaves.

5. Digital Technology.

   1. a computer or network of computers engaged in solving sets of mathematical problems that are used to verify cryptocurrency transactions and that, when solved, yield a unit of the currency.

   2. a software application that is designed to run this process.

   3. a person or company that engages in this process.

6. (formerly) a person who places or lays explosive mines.

miner

/ ˈmaɪnə /

noun

1. a person who works in a mine

2. Also called: continuous miner. a large machine for the automatic extraction of minerals, esp coal, from a mine

3. any of various insects or insect larvae that bore into and feed on plant tissues See also leaf miner

4. any of several honey-eaters of the genus Manorina, esp M. melanocephala (noisy miner), of scrub regions See noisy miner

Word History and Origins

Origin of miner¹

First recorded in 1225–75; mine ² + -er ¹; replacing Middle English minour, from Anglo-French ( -or ² )

Example Sentences

China’s new export restrictions on rare earth minerals and lithium-ion batteries boost shares of MP Materials and other miners.

Read more on Barron's

The deal also highlights a challenge to bolstering supplies of the commodity: Many miners determine it is easier and cheaper to buy rather than build mines.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

When investors say they own gold, that typically means they hold one of the following assets: physical gold bars or coins; gold exchange-traded funds; gold futures; or shares of gold miners.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

London’s miners rose after being pulled up by a tightening copper market and hopes that the industrial metal surges to record highs.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The deal with the Energy Department follows the Defense Department’s investment in rare earth miner and processor MP Materials.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• prospector