Mining is the process of extracting minerals, ore, or fossil fuels from the Earth, typically through excavation, drilling, or blasting. It also refers to the activity or industry related to these extractions. In broader contexts, it can mean the search for valuable resources or data, especially in computing or research. The term emphasizes extraction for economic gain rather than mere exploration.
"The mining of copper has boosted the town’s economy for decades."
"Coal mining presents environmental and safety challenges that regulators continually address."
"The company shifted from traditional mining to sustainable, eco-friendly practices."
"Data mining uses algorithms to uncover patterns in large datasets."
Mining originates from the Old English word mine, meaning a subterranean excavation or cavity, combined with the agentive suffix -ing. The root is related to the Latin minare ‘to mine’ and the French mine ‘a quarry’ or ‘pit,’ with the sense evolving in Middle English to designate the act or place where minerals are extracted. By the 15th–16th centuries, mining referred broadly to the activity of extracting ore or minerals from the earth, often by manual labor, followed by the introduction of steam, pickaxes, and later mechanized tools in the Industrial Revolution. The modern sense covers non-metallic extractions and, in metaphorical usage, data mining. First known uses appear in mining accounts and texts from medieval Europe describing ore extraction and quarrying activities, with the term becoming central to economic and industrial discourse in the 18th and 19th centuries as mining operations scaled up globally.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Mining" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Mining"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Mining is pronounced MAI-ning, with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU /ˈmaɪnɪŋ/. Start with the diphthong /aɪ/ as in “my,” then the short /ɪ/ in the second syllable, and end with /ŋ/ (the ng sound). Keep the /n/ crisp before the /ɪ/. Audio reference: you can compare with common word
Common errors include reducing the /aɪ/ to a short /ɪ/ like 'min-ing' or incorrectly voicing the final /ŋ/ as an /ŋk/ or a hard /g/. To correct: emphasize the /aɪ/ by slightly prolonging the start of the word and ensure the /n/ is clearly released before the /ɪ/; finish with a clean velar nasal /ŋ/. Practice with minimal pairs: mine vs mining and sign vs mining to feel the /ŋ/ closure.
In US/UK/AU, the primary stress remains on the first syllable: MAI-ning. Vowel quality for /aɪ/ is slightly more centralized in some US dialects and broader in many UK/AU varieties. The /ɪ/ in the second syllable is reduced in rapid speech in some Australian and American variants, leading to a quicker '-ning' sound. Rhoticity doesn’t affect this word in most accents, but intonation patterns around mining phrases can vary with regional neutralization of stress under fast speech.
The difficulty often lies in the diphthong /aɪ/ and the final velar nasal /ŋ/. Many learners substitute /aɪ/ with /iː/ or /eɪ/, producing 'meen-ing' or 'main-ing' with different vowel quality. The /ŋ/ at the end requires a velar closure and a clean nasal release, which is challenging when the preceding /ɪ/ tends to overshadow it in rapid speech. Practice deliberate mouth positioning: tongue high and toward the palate for /aɪ/, then transition to a light but firm /ŋ/ with a relaxed jaw.
Is the 'i' in 'mining' pronounced as a separate syllable or part of the diphthong? In standard pronunciation, the word has two syllables with /aɪ/ in the first syllable, so it is MAI-ning, not mi-NING. The first syllable contains the diphthong /aɪ/ and the second syllable uses /ɪ/; the /ŋ/ closes the word. This combination distinguishes mining from the verb 'mining' as well as from uninflected roots.
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