136 TEESDALE PLACE-NAMES. 



the means used for extracting other minerals, &c., from the 

 earth, and for forming cuniculi, or passages underground for the 

 ruin of fortifications, &c. 



It may confidently be said that a verbal derivative from 

 minium ought to be miniare and not minare. And so indeed it 

 is, for in Du Cange we find "miniare, quasi mmo describere, 

 relever en vermilion," and in Smith's Dictionary, "■minio, to 

 colour with red lead, or cinnabar, to paint red." 



In Smith we find that in low Eoman times minium had some- 

 how or other got contracted into a monosyllabic apocopate 

 form, min, which, doubtless, gave less trouble to the vocal organs 

 of the ancient miners and their masters, than minium, just as at 

 the present day pram is preferred to perambulator, and sovs to 

 sovereigns, by nurse maids and those who love a little slang. 



Min, therefore, in place of minium would give rise to mino, 

 minare, to work the min, or place, where the min or other mineral 

 was found. 



These contracted forms have been found convenient and exist 

 in all the Latin languages, and in those of Grermany, Holland, 

 Belgium, aud Scandinavia, in which latter countries they are 

 superseding the native terms. 



There seems no need whatever to go to the French mener for 

 the derivation of minare, to mine, indeed the Bar. Latin is most 

 probably the more ancient of the two. 



It is unnecessary here to go into the other meanings of minare, 

 as to lead, to drive, to threaten, &c., as e.g. 



" Pastor oves bacula minat ; lupus ore minatur." 



In Latin the classical terms are fodina, puteus ; focUre ; those 

 called Low Latin are minium, or min, mina, minera, mineria ; 

 miner, to mine. 



It. mina; minare; Sp. mina; minar, {minium is said to be a 

 Spanish word) ; Port, mina ; minare ; Fr. mine, miniere ; miner, 

 to mine. 



Into Dan., Sw., Ger., Dut., and Belg. the same words have been 

 introduced, but the native words for the same things are very 

 different, and have come down fi'om the more ancient Northern 

 tongues ; thus in Moeso-Goth. we have graf, fovea, grohos, fossas. 



