▪ I. mint, n.1
(mɪnt)
Forms: 1 mynyt, -it, -et, munet, 1–2, 4–5 menet, 5 myntte, 5–7 mynt, 6 minte, 6– mint.
[OE. mynet neut., repr. (with change of gender) WGer. *munita fem., a. L. monēta: see money. Cf. OFris. menote, munte fem., OS. munita fem. (MDu. munte, Du. munt fem.), OHG. muniȥȥa fem., muniȥ masc. and neut. (MHG. münȥe, mod.G. münze fem.). From LG. the word passed into the Scandinavian langs.: ON., Sw., Da. mynt.]
1. A piece of money, a coin; money. Obs.
From 16th c. only slang: possibly reintroduced in this use from LG.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) N 144 Nomisma, mynit. c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxii. 19 Eawað me mynet [c 1000 Ags. Gosp. mynyt, c 1160 Hatton menet; Vulg. numisma] þæs gæfles. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 192 ᵹenim pipores swilce an mynet ᵹeweᵹe, diles sædes swilce .iiii. mynet ᵹeweᵹen. 1340 Ayenb. 241 Vor pouerte is þet menet huermide me bayþ þe riche of heuene. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 1069 These [sc. pigs] if me spende, or mynt for hem reseyue. 1567 Harman Caveat (1869) 83 Mynt, golde. 1621 B. Jonson Metam. Gypsies in Horace, etc. (1640) 54 Strike faire at some Jewell That mint [1641 fol., mine] may accrue well. 1666 Head Eng. Rogue i. iv. 33. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew. 1848 Mrs. Gaskell Mary Barton xxiii, You'll want money... You must take some of the mint I've got laid by in the old tea-pot. |
2. a. A place where money is coined; usually, a place where lawful money is coined under the authority and direction of the state.
Master of the Mint (
perh. orig. in sense 1): the chief officer and custodian of the mint.
(Since 1869 the offices of Master and Worker of the Mint have been nominally held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has direct control of the establishment.)
| 1423 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 256/2 The maister of the mynte aforeseid [previously called maistre of the koyne]. c 1475 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 286 For and ther were a myntte ordeyned ny therby. a 1552 Leland Itin. (1769) IV. 125 There was..a Mint of Coynage in Coventrye. 1553 in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) III. App. v. 8 Her Majestie hath ordered and established to be made within her mintes these seueral coynes. 1603 Jas. I in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 67 The Warden of our Mynt and Woorkmaster of our Moneys there. 1670 Lady M. Bertie in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 21 At the Tower..I saw the lyons and Mint. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Master of the Mint, an Officer now call'd The Warden of the Mint. 1787 Phil. Trans. LXXVII. 204 note, The experiments..were made..at his Majesty's Mint in the Tower. 1836 in Rep. Committee Roy. Mint (1837) App. 28 The Cash Account of the Master of the Mint. 1853 Humphreys Coin-coll. Man. I. vi. 66 The Carthaginians..had a national mint established in the Acropolis of Carthage. |
b. A set of machines for coining.
| 1592 R. D. Hypnerotomachia 7 This Image was..mooved about with such a noyse..as if the mynte of the Queene of England had been going there! 1642 Chas. I Sp. Wks. 1662 I. 412, I have sent hither for a Mint. 1832 Babbage Econ. Manuf. xi. (ed. 3) 94 The mint which was sent a few years since to Calcutta was capable of coining 200,000 pieces a day. |
3. transf. and
fig. A place in which the fabrication (of anything) is carried on; a source of invention or fabrication.
| 1555 Eden Decades 331 b, The..matrices of moste estemed ryches, and the myntes of al treasures are the mountaynes. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. i. i. 166 A man..That hath a mint of phrases in his braine. 1610 Bp. Carleton Jurisd. 141 If that decree were forged,..with many moe: Let the Romane forgery be acknowledged, and the Masters of that mint knowne. 1709 Sacheverell Serm. 15 Aug. 16 The Pulpit, and the Press, those Mints of Atheism. 1715 Bentley Serm. x. (1809) 348 Rome..should possess the sole mint of all spiritual licences and pardons. a 1792 Wolcot (P. Pindar) Ode to Pretty Milliner Wks. 1794 III. 327 A kiss!—a thousand kisses let me add—Ten thousand from thy unexhausted mint. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. lxxix, But thou and I are one in kind, As moulded like in Nature's mint. 1874 L. Stephen Hours in Library (1892) I. v. 192 All these [tales] bear the unmistakable stamp of Hawthorne's mint. 1905 R. F. Horton Child & Relig. vii. 276 The Bible ought to be taught to every English child, as..the Mint of our noblest speech. |
† 4. a. Coinage.
Obs.| 1483 in Lett. & Papers Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) I. 45 A lettre undre the kinges prive seall concernyng the mynte of Irlande. 1622 Bacon Hen. VII 235 For Minte, and Warres, and Marshall Discipline, (things of Absolute Power) he would neuerthelesse bring to Parliament. |
b. In phrase
to pass the Mint (with allusion to the assaying department of the Mint).
| 1656 Blount Glossogr. To Rdr. A 4 b, So when any considerable Supplement of New English Words have legally pass'd the Mint and Test of our Vertuosi, the same liberty [of reprinting with additions] may be allowed this Work. |
5. † a. A quantity (of money) coined.
Obs.| 1579 Fenton Guicciard. i. (1599) 16 They were plentifully furnished..with so rich a mynt of money [orig. tanta copia di danari], that it sufficed against all wants. |
| transf. 1598 J. Dickenson Greene in Conc. (1878) 100 He vanished, leauing mee extreamely discontented; for I had ready a mint of questions. |
b. Hence, a vast sum (of money); rarely
transf. a vast amount (of something costly).
| 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. ix. vi. §19. 172 A mass, a mint, a mine of mony could easily be advanced to defray the expences thereof. 1729 Bradley Riches of Hop-garden 2 Expect Mints of Money to tumble into their Laps for a little Secret. 1833 Marryat P. Simple i, He must have lost a mint of money. 1869 Blackmore Lorna D. xxi, He was so tasselled, and so ruffled with a mint of bravery. 1874 Spurgeon Treas. Dav. Ps. xciv. 16 Our John Knox would be worth a mint at this hour, but where is he? |
6. attrib. and
Comb., as
mint-bill, a bill or promissory note given by the officers of the mint to the importer of bullion deposited for coining;
mint condition = mint-state;
mint duties, certain taxes formerly appropriated to the maintenance of the Royal Mint;
mint hog slang, an Irish shilling;
† mint house, a building in which money is coined;
† mintmaker, ‘a moneyer’;
† mint man, one engaged or skilled in coining; also
transf.;
mint par,
parity (of exchange), the ratio between the gold equivalent of the currency units of two countries; the rate of currency exchange between two countries based on this ratio;
mint phrase, a phrase coined for a purpose;
mint price, the standard price of bullion as recognized at the mint;
mint-stamp Numism. = mint-mark (also
fig.);
mint-state Numism., the condition in which a coin comes from the mint (also
transf., of a postage-stamp); also applied to books and other objects in pristine condition;
mint-token, a token of a nominal value issued by legal authority from a mint;
mint value = mint price. Also
mint-mark,
mint-master.
| 1707 Lond. Gaz. No. 4330/5 The New Edict in France for making their *Mint-Bills current throughout the Kingdom. 1839 Penny Cycl. XV. 253/1 It [coin] is delivered to the owner weight for weight, as expressed in the mint bill which had been given. |
| 1902 Connoisseur May 67/2 Nothing is more marked in present day stamp collecting than the insistence..upon what is expressively termed a ‘*mint’ condition in unused specimens. 1923 Punch 7 Feb. 130 Here we have Holbein's portrait of the first earl... His chef-d'œuvre, in mint condition. 1956 I. Murdoch Flight from Enchanter i. 9 The books were chaotic, but in mint condition, since reading was not a popular activity. 1975 ‘D. Rutherford’ Mystery Tour iii. 59, I did have half a dozen vintage Rolls-Royces..but..it was becoming more and more expensive to keep the cars in mint condition. |
| 1782 G. & F. Garbett in Rep. Committee Roy. Mint (1837) App. 221 Certain duties upon brandy and strong waters under the title of *Mint duties. |
| 1806 Carr Stranger in Irel. iii. 65 The genuine Irish shillings, called by the low Irish *Mint hogs. |
| 1605 Stow Ann., Jas. I, 1414 The next day he saw..the *mint-houses. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. II. 248 The Hungarian gold and silver employed mint-houses, not only in Hungary, but in Germany, and the continent of Europe. |
| c 1483 Caxton Dialogues 2 Of *myntemakers [F. monnoyers] and pybakers. |
| 1605 Timme Quersit. i. xvi. 82 The which is wel known to..euery gold⁓smith and *mintman. 1624 Bacon War w. Spain (1629) 2 He that thinketh Spaine to be some great Ouermatch for this Estate..is no good Mint-man; But takes greatnesse of Kingdomes according to their Bulke and Currency. 1752 Carte Hist. Eng. III. 384 They proposed to coin their plate to pay them: but the mintmen stole off with their stamps and irons. |
| 1882 *Mint par [see par n.1 2 a]. 1891 G. Clare Money-Market Primer 74 A Mint Par can only be established between countries that employ the same standard of value. 1928 W. F. Spalding Dict. World's Currencies & Foreign Exchanges 134/2 The mint par of exchange is the rate of exchange at which the standard coin of one country is convertible into that of another country according to the terms of their respective mint laws. 1965 Perry & Ryder Thomson's Dict. Banking (ed. 11) 376/2 The Mint Par between two countries never varies unless one of them alters its coinage regulations. |
| 1928 L. D. Edie Money, Bank Credit & Prices iii. 52 A so-called *mint parity existed between all gold standard countries. 1940 G. Crowther Outl. Money ix. 317 The ‘mint parity’ being $4.862/3 = {pstlg}1, whenever the exchange rate..fell..it became cheaper to buy gold from the Bank of England..and..sell it to the Federal Reserve Bank for dollars. 1965 Seldon & Pennance Everyman's Dict. Econ. 285 Mint Parity of Exchange, the exchange rate between two currencies both of which are legally convertible at fixed rates into..gold... The mint parity then expresses the ratio between the two legal rates. |
| 1626 B. Jonson Staple of N. iv. iv. 74, I wyll tyde This affayre for you; giue it freight and passage, And such *mynt-phrase, as 'tis the worst of canting, By how much it affects the sense it has not. |
| 1758 J. Harris Money & Coins ii. ii. 56 The market price of bullion might be frequently above the *mint price. 1892 H. R. Grenfell in Pall Mall G. 24 Dec. 2/3 Law has instituted the so-called mint price for gold. |
| 1817 D'Israeli Cur. Lit. 1st Ser. III. 183 That all men..should take the *mint-stamp of their thoughts from the Council of Trent. 1837 in Rep. Committee Roy. Mint Index 22 The Mint stamp is for the security of the refiner. |
| 1902 Daily Chron. 16 Jan. 7/7 The Niger Coast 5s. [sc. postage stamp] in violet on 2d., and the 10s. in vermilion on 5d., both unused and in *mint state. 1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 16 Apr. 305/3 Copies of ‘Waverley’..are excessively rare in mint state. |
| 1716 Lond. Gaz. No. 5439/3 A small Copper Coin, under the Name of *Mint-Tokens, shall be current throughout his Dominions for half a Rixdollar. |
▪ II. mint, n.2 (
mɪnt)
Forms: 1–6
minte, 1, 4–6
mynte, 3–7
mente, 5–6
mynt, 6
mynthe, 6–
mint.
[OE. minte wk. fem. (? Mercian mint str. fem.) = OHG. minza (MHG., mod.G. minze):—WG. *minta, a. L. menta, mentha, Gr. µίνθη (also µίνθος). A synonym of unexplained form is WGer. *muntja, represented by M.Du. munte (Du. munt fem.), OHG. munza (MHG., mod.G. münze). The obsolete Eng. form mente may be influenced by F. mente (now written menthe), whence also the MDu. variant mente.] 1. a. Any one of the aromatic labiate plants of the genus
Mentha,
esp. M. viridis, Garden Mint or
spearmint, well known in cookery. Until the 18th c. frequently with
a and in
pl.| c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxiii. 23 Forþon ᵹe þe tæᵹþiᵹaþ mintæ [c 1000 Ags. Gosp. mintan] & dile & cymen. c 1260 Gloss. Names Plants in Rel. Ant. I. 37 Menta, mente, minten. ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 731 A litel path..Of mentes ful and fenel grene. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. cvi. (Tollem. MS.), Mynte of gardynes is an herbe þat multiplyeþ it selfe. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 60 Mintis stampid wiþ salt. c 1450 ME. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 69 Take smalache, & myntes, & rewe, and betonye. 1530 Palsgr. 660/2 Plucke these roses whyle I plucke these myntes. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Menta, mentæ,..Mintes. 1593 B. Barnes Parthenophil Ode xi. in Arb. Garner V. 456 Fragrant violets, and sweet mynthe, Matched with purple hyacinth. 1618 Latham 2nd Bk. Falconry (1633) 143 Mintes is hot and dry in the third degree. 1733 Tull Horse-Hoeing Husb. i. 11, I plac'd a Mint, with half its Roots in the Glass. Ibid., The Mints stood just upon the ends of the Trough. 1876 Harley Mat. Med. (ed. 6) 471 Mint has long been used in Medicine. |
b. With defining word, as
bergamot mint,
M. citrata;
brandy mint,
peppermint,
M. piperita;
brook,
fish,
horse,
water,
wild mint,
M. sylvestris and other wild species;
brown,
mackerel mint, old names for
M. viridis;
corn mint,
M. arvensis;
crisp(ed,
cross,
curled mint,
M. crispa.
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. lxxiv. 243 The garden Myntes are of four sortes, that is to say, Curlde Mynte, Crispe Mynte, Spere Mynte, and Harte Mynte. The wilde Mynte is of two sortes, that is, the Horse Mynte, and the Water Mynte. 1597 Gerarde Herbal ii. ccxv. 553 The first Mint is called..browne Mint, or red Mint. The second..crosse Mint, or curled Mint. The third..Speare Mint, common Garden Mint, our Ladies Mint, Browne Mint and Macrell Mint. The fourth..Hart Woort or Hart Mint. Ibid. ccxvii. 555 Water Mint, Fish Mint, Brooke Mint, and Horse Mint. 1744 J. Wilson Synops. Brit. Pl. 87 Pepper-mint. They call this Brandy-mint in Westmoreland. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 525 Corn Mint. Watery places and moist corn fields. 1831 J. Davies Manual Mat. Med. 179 The most used of them are, the Crisped Mint, Mentha crispa, Lin.; the Green Mint, M. Viridis,..the Elegant Mint, M. gentilis, Lin. |
c. = peppermint 2 b. Also a sweet, or chocolate, flavoured with or containing mint. Also as
adj.| 1894 E. Skuse Compl. Confectioner 138 (heading) Cheap common mints. 1958 ‘R. Crompton’ William's Television Show v. 161 Their pockets bulged with..pear drops, mint fancies, almond delight. 1964 Listener 1 Oct. 498/2 Mouth mint-happy, I drift to the bed. 1966 P. V. Price France: Food & Wine Guide 95 Really good mint chocolates are..appreciated by French friends. 1970 D. Marlowe Echoes of Celandine vi. 90 A bag of mints. 1973 Harrod's Christmas Catal. 35/1, 1 metre box of crispy mints—a special chocolate blended in our own factory. {pstlg}5.25. |
2. Applied with defining word to plants of allied genera,
e.g. Calamintha and in
U.S. Pycnanthemum and
Monarda. See also
catmint.
| 1548 Turner Names of Herbes 22 Calamintha..called in english cornemint and calamynt. 1597 Gerarde Herbal ii. ccxviii. 556 Calamint, or mountaine Mint. 1846–50 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. 417 Monarda didyma, Mountain Mint. M. punctata, Horsemint. Ibid. 419 Pycnanthemum incanum, Mountain Mint. 1886 Britten & Holland Plant-n. s.v., Calamintha officinalis is in Yks. Cap Mint or Cat Mint;..Teucrium Scorodonia is Rock Mint in Som. and Wild Mint in Suss.; Ajuga reptans is Wild Mint in Berks. |
3. attrib. and
Comb.:
mint-green adj.;
mint cake dial., (
a) a cake made of flour and dripping or lard, flavoured with sugar and chopped fresh mint, and rolled out very thin (E.D.D.); (
b) a sweetmeat flavoured with peppermint (
Ibid.);
mint jelly, mint-flavoured jelly,
usu. eaten with roast lamb;
mint julep (see
julep 2);
mint rock, a sweetmeat (see
rock n.) flavoured with peppermint;
mint-sling U.S., a drink containing some alcoholic beverage flavoured with mint;
mint-stick, a stick of mint-rock or similar sweetmeat;
mint tea = mint-water;
mint tree, an Australian labiate tree,
Prostanthera lasiantha (
Treas. Bot. 1866);
mint vinegar, mint-flavoured vinegar;
mint-water, a cordial distilled from mint. Also
mint-sauce.
| 1825 Mrs. Cameron Seeds of Greediness 2 (in Houlston Tracts I. No. 22) Apples, *mint cakes, and other things..very tempting to children. 1958 E. Newby Short Walk in Hindu Kush xiv. 170 Drinking some coffee and munching Kendal mint cake. 1971 D. Haston in C. Bonington Annapurna South Face xvii. 211 Food level was porridge, mint cake and assorted synthetic drinks. 1971 M. Thompson in Ibid. App. D. 272 There was far too much sugar and too much fudge and mint cake. The Kendal Mint Cake really came into its own at very high altitude. |
| 1967 Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary 9 Mar. (1970) 493, I wore my *mint-green silk and sat..on his right. 1973 J. Shub Moscow by Nightmare ix. 97 The mint-green Winter Palace. |
| 1922 Gordon & Rohde Cookery 157 *Mint Jelly... Pick fresh young mint. Boil the sugar in the vinegar for 5 minutes. 1951 T. Sterling House without Door ii. 22 The lamb was tender... She ate the mint jelly separately. 1966 I. Jefferies House-Surgeon xiii. 245 There was red-currant jelly, white-currant jelly, mint jelly..and mint sauce. |
| 1809 ‘D. Knickerbocker’ Hist. N.Y. II. vii. ii. 180 The inhabitants..were notoriously prone to get fuddled and make merry with *mint-julep and apple-toddy. 1817 Paulding Lett. fr. South (1835) I. 21 The best compounder of mint-juleps of any man in Virginia. 1845 E. Acton Mod. Cookery 540 Mint Julep. 1853 J. G. Baldwin Flush Times Alabama 81 Great was he too at mixing an apple toddy or mint julep. 1943 R.A.F. Jrnl. Aug. 16 When he spoke one tasted mint juleps and water melons. 1970 A. Launay Cocktails & Snacks 64 Mint Julep. 6 or 7 mint leaves.., shaved ice, 2/3 cocktail glass bourbon whisky. |
| 1952 New Statesman 29 Mar. 370/2 The sweets are unsophisticated and long-lasting—Bottomley's *mint rock, Judy Barratt's humbugs. |
| 1804 Balance 15 Mar. 86 (Th.), Three *Mint Slings. 1812 ‘H. Bull-Us’ Diverting Hist. John Bull & Bro. Jonathan xiii. 98 The Yankeys abhor horse-racing, cock fighting, and mint-slings. 1832 J. P. Kennedy Swallow Barn I. xi. 110 It is a vulgar error..to appropriate the mint sling to the morning. 1964 Cookbk. (Amer. Heritage) 345 The Mint Sling and Apple Toddy..are variations on the more traditional Slings and Toddies given here. |
| 1862 New York Tribune 13 June (Cent.), The soldiers hunger for dates, figs, *mint-stick [etc.]. |
| 1872 Schele de Vere Americanisms 395 Sage-tea and *Mint-tea were..familiar to all nurses. |
| 1845 E. Acton Mod. Cookery (ed. 2) v. 137 Green *mint vinegar... The mint itself,..will keep well in vinegar, though the colour will not be very good. 1957 E. Craig Collins Family Cookery 893 Mint Vinegar... Fill up jars with the mint.., then pour in mild vinegar to overflowing. |
| 1666 Phil. Trans. I & II. No. 12. 212 *Mint-water. 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xii. 131 A draught composed of two drachms of mint water [etc.]. |
▪ III. † mint, n.3 Obs. [Of obscure origin; possibly contraction of minute n. (cf. mint-while).] 1. A small insect, mite, weevil.
| 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 623 Bibiones, uermes, Anglice myntys. c 1475 Pict. Voc. ibid. 767/8 Nomina vermium..Hec mica, a mynte. 1789 W. Marshall Glouc. I. 330 Mints, mites. 1842 in Akerman Wilts Gloss. |
2. A denomination of weight,
1/
20 of a grain;
= mite.
| a 1600 MS. Rawlinson D. 23 Pref. 1 b, The weyghtes called myntes which is the smallest weyhte here sette downe, saving the weyghtes called droytes, Theise weyghtes called myntes hathe no abbrevyacion sette here downe. |
▪ IV. mint, n.4 Sc. and
north. dial. (
mɪnt)
Also 4
munt, 4–6
mynt.
[f. mint v.1] 1. Purpose, intention.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 463 Bot he was merred of hys mint, Fulson he fand vnsterne stint. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 1160 Bot of þat munt I was bi-talt. |
2. An attempt, effort; an attempt to strike; a blow aimed; a threatening gesture or movement.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 12367 He [Arthur] sey wel how he [Dynabrok] made his mynt, & wiþ his mace he teysed his dynt. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2345 Fyrst I mansed þe muryly, with a mynt one, & roue þe wyth no rof. Ibid. 2350 Þat oþer munt for þe morne, mon, I þe profered, Þou kyssedes my clere wyf. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 2613 A ful fel mynt to him made. 1513 Douglas æneis v. viii. 11 Now bendis he wp his burdoun with a mynt, On syde he bradis for till eschew the dint. 1573 Satir. Poems Reform. xxxix. 361 He..Brocht thame to miserie maid ane mynt to wrang vs. a 1584 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 1158 ‘Ȝit’, quod Experience, ‘at thee Mak mony mints I may’. 1589 J. Melvill Autobiogr. (Wodrow Soc.) 273 His brother..making a mint, maid the lown to flie. a 1699 J. Fraser Mem. vi. §2 (1738) 139 Nor made I ever any extraordinary Mint to seek God, but [etc.]. 1728 Ramsay To Starrat 39 The lawly mints of my poor moorland muse. |
▪ V. mint, v.1 Now
dial. or
arch. (
mɪnt)
Forms: 1
myntan, 2
mintan, 2–3
munten, 3–6
mynt, 3–7
minte, 4, 6
mente, 5
munt, 6
ment,
mynte, 3–
mint.
[OE. myntan, perh. from *mynęttan, f. myne thought, intention: see min n.] † 1. intr. and trans. To think.
Obs.| c 1000 Judith 153 (Gr.) Mynton ealle, þæt se beorna breᵹo & seo beorhte mæᵹð in ðam wliteᵹan træfe wæron ætsomne. a 1300 Cursor M. 28979 For euer ai prai wit-vten stint, He þat graithli to god has mint. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. x. 37 Of munnyng ne munt thou namore. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 7225 Þey seide til oþer, ‘what haue ȝe mynt?’ |
2. With
inf. (rarely with
clause). To purpose, intend; also, to make an effort, attempt, endeavour; to venture.
| Beowulf 712 Mynte se manscaða manna cynnes sumne besyrwan in sele þam hean. 1154 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 616 Ða mynte Laurentius þe ða wæs ercebiscop on Cænt. þæt he wolde suþ ofer se. 1154 Ibid. an. 1137 And ᵹif he leng moste liuen, alse he mint to don of þe horder⁓wycan. a 1300 Cursor M. 10759 Hir to haf had he noght mint, If he moght anigat it stint. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 261 Sondri times as sche minte To speke, upon the point sche stinte. 1530 Palsgr. 421/2, I am aboute to do a thynge, or I ment or purpose to do a thynge, je tache. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. ix. 193 The Erle of Surrie..minted nocht to cum an inche ner vs. 1633 Rutherford Lett. xxix. (1862) I. 105 Jesus is looking up that water and minting to dwell amongst them. 1713 Humble Pleadings for Good Old-way 137 We the people that adhere to him have minted to plead with this church. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Sheph. i. i, To speak but till her I dare hardly mint. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xii. (1873) 76 He's ready to confess Christ afore men aifter a fashion that I hae never mintit to dee yet. |
† b. With ellipsis of verb of motion.
Obs.| Beowulf 762 Mynte se mæra, þær he meahte..þanon fleon. a 1325 Prov. Hendyng xxx, Mon þat munteþ ouer flod, whiles þat þe wynd ys wod abyde fayre ant stille. 1660 D. Dickson Serm. Sel. Writ. (1845) I. 135 We are like Peter who minted to his Master on the water. |
c. absol.| 1513 Douglas æneis xii. xiv. 49 Ne went it [the stone] all the space, as he dyd mynt, Nor, as he etlyt, perfornyst nocht the dynt. |
3. trans. To intend; to attempt; to aim (a blow).
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §3 Ac wit sculon swaþeah secan þæt þæt wit ær mynton. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 11 And þat wreche man [leueð] þat swilche þing him mai letten of þat þe god him haueð munt. a 1300 Vox & Wolf 244 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 66 Wat hauest thou i-munt, weder wolt thou? a 1330 Otuel 182 For ȝef ani of ȝou so hardi be, Þat any strok munteþ to me. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 3437 What so my sister ever has mynt, Al hir part now tel i tynt. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxv, I will cleave to the brisket the first man that mints another stroke. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Mink, Mint, to attempt, to aim at. |
† b. To direct, address (speech).
Obs.| c 1491 Chast. Goddes Chyld. xviii. 49 As he minteth us his speche wythouten ony taryeng of worde. |
4. intr. To aim a blow; to take aim in shooting; to make a threatening movement. Const.
at,
to.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2262 With alle þe bur in his body he ber hit [his axe] on lofte, Munt as maȝtyly, as marre hym he wolde. Ibid. 2274 Nawþer fyked I, ne flaȝe, freke, quen þou myntest. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 2448 Unto Sir Ywayn he mynt, And on the shelde he hit ful fast. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. cv, For oft, There as I mynt full sore, I smyte bot soft. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. xvi. 2606 Thai myst bot seldyn quhare thai wald mynt. 1530 Palsgr. 635/1, I dyd ment at a fatte bucke but I dyd hyt a pricket. a 1600 Montgomerie Misc. Poems ix. 16 Vhair thou mints thou missis not the mark. ― Sonn. liv. 9 Bot hola, Muse! thou mints at such a mark, Vhais merit far excedes thy slender skill. 1600 Gowrie's Conspir. D 3, Minting to his Highnes heart with the dagger. |
† b. To make a movement to seize something. Const.
to.
Obs.| 1613 in R. M. Fergusson Hume (1899) 199 Dispersoning of him and minting to ane quhinger to have struckin him thairwith. a 1828 Earl Lithgow xxxi. in Child Ballads II. 469/1 It's thrice she minted to the brand. |
c. To point.
| a 1400–50 Alexander 1089 Seraphis aperis,..Toward a miȝti montayne him myntis with his fynger. |
5. To make an attempt; to aim
at, aspire
to.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 28314 Quen i til ony gode dede mynt Ful eth it was do me to stint. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 338/2 Myntyn, or amyn towarde, for to assayen. 1721 Ramsay Keitha 81 The lasses wha did at her graces mint, Hae by her death their bonniest pattern tint. 1820 Scott Monast. xvii, They that mint at a gown of gold, will always get a sleeve of it. |
† 6. trans. To mention, speak of.
Obs.| c 1375 Cursor M. 14021 (Fairf.) Simonde..wondred & saide in his poȝt bot wiþ his mouþ he mynt [earlier texts said] hit noȝt. c 1400 Destr. Troy 431 This Medea the maiden, þat I mynt first. |
Hence
ˈminting vbl. n.| 1508 Dunbar Flyting w. Kennedie 4 Bot had thay maid of mannace ony mynting In speciall, sic stryfe sould ryse but stynting. a 1653 Binning Serm. (1743) 605 God in Christ accepts of endeavours and minting. 1703 Thoresby Let. to Ray s.v. Munt, I know your Meaning by your munting. |
▪ VI. mint, v.2 (
mɪnt)
Forms: see the
n. [f. mint n.1 OE. had mynetian = OHG. munizôn (mod.G.münzen), Du. munten.] 1. trans. To make (coin) by stamping metal.
| 1546 Langley Pol. Verg. De Invent. ii. xiii. 57 b, Phedon began syluer coyne in the yle Egina. It was mynted in Rome. 1691 Locke Lower. Interest 148 Had all the Money in King Charles the II. and King James the II. time been Minted according to this new proposal, this raised Money would have been gone as well as the other. 1862 Merivale Rom. Emp. lvii. (1865) VII. 149 Gold and silver money, minted for the occasion. 1881 Metal World No. 3. 37 No more half-crowns or fourpenny bits will be minted. |
b. transf. ?
nonce-uses. To make (paper money, a seal).
| 1736 Berkeley Querist ii. 125 Whether it was not madness in France to mint bills and actions, merely to humour the people. 1871 C. M. Yonge Cameos (1877) II. xxi. 324 The Great Seal was cancelled in order that another for both England and France might be minted. |
c. to mint gold,
mint money (
mod. colloq.): to gain or ‘make’ money with facility.
Cf. coin v.
1 1 c.
| 1842 Mrs. Stone W. Langshawe II. vii. 78 If he can but weather the corner, he'll mint gold. |
d. fig. To produce (something regarded as comparable to coin); to ‘coin’ or invent (a word or phrase); in contemptuous use, to invent, fabricate (something counterfeit).
Cf. new-mint v.
| 1593 [see new-mint v.]. a 1643 Cartwright Siege v. iv, Nature's sincerer kingdome, where she mints And shapes refin'd delights. 1648 Gataker Myst. Cloudes 2 They might, by some colourable glosses, and nice distinctions newly minted, make them seem [etc.]. 1652 R. Boreman Countr. Catech. x. 25 Broaching new opinions..such as shall be minted in the braines of their Tutors. 1659 Gentl. Calling iv. (1660) 38 That it may every Year appear in some new piece of Dress, have some Oaths fresh minted to set it off. a 1680 Charnock Attrib. God (1834) II. 565 Such was [his] usurpation,..as if he had power to mint gods. 1698 C. Boyle Bentley's Epist. Phal. (ed. 2) 73 One Happy Phrase, newly minted by the Dr. a 1711 Ken Edmund Poet. Wks. 1721 II. 226 Curs'd Heresies and Schisms they all disclaim, Minted in Hell, and kindled by its Flame. a 1800 S. Pegge Anecd. Eng. Lang. (1803) 35 Queen Elizabeth was very successful in minting the Latin word Fœminilis. 1895 Sir H. Maxwell in Forum (N.Y.) Oct. 159 The name has not yet been minted which shall serve to distinguish the Unionist party of the twentieth century. |
2. To convert (bullion) into coin or money. ?
Obs.| 1569 Sir T. Gresham in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. II. 318 Seing this monney..doth appertain to merchauntes, I would wishe the Quenes Majestie to put it to use..as to mynt hit into her own coyne. 1668 Lond. Gaz. No. 287/3 The Barres of Silver which arrived lately, are to be suddenly minted. 1670 Pettus Fodinæ Reg. 42 Metall being thus Coyned or Minted, it is called Coyn. |
† b. transf. To fashion or convert
into.
Obs.| a 1680 Charnock Attrib. God (1682) 30 The Mouth takes in the meat,..the liver refines it and mints it into blood. |
c. fig. To impress (something) with a stamp or character. Also with
out,
upon. Also, to stamp (an impress)
upon.
| 1664 H. More Myst. Iniq., Apol. 544 Though it were in our power to mint Truth as we please..yet we should find that it would not serve all Emergencies. 1641 Milton Reform. ii. 45 But by what example can they shew that the form of Church Discipline must be minted, and modell'd out to secular pretences? 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) II. 75, I would..he had now been present..to have his soul melted and minted as mine has been. Ibid. 107, I was melted down and minted anew, as it were. |
▪ VII. mint, a. (
mɪnt)
ellipt. for
in mint condition (see
mint n.1 6).
| 1902 Connoisseur Jan. p. xiv, A hitherto unknown stamp..unused (mint). 1928 Humphris' (Norwich) Catal. No. 149. 13/1 ‘Mint’ signifies As New. 1952 J. Carter A.B.C. for Bk.-Collectors 59 A cloth-bound, a boarded or a wrappered book may be called immaculate, mint, pristine, [etc.]. Ibid. 120 Dust-jacket defective, otherwise mint. 1968 P. Oliver Screening Blues 3 Other conditions reflect the popularity of singer or song, and some [records], grey on one side and ‘mint’ on the other, betray hard service in a juke-box. 1975 Deval & Muir (Takeley, Hertfordshire) Catal. No. 35. 16/1 This book is one of the prettiest small publications of the period... Apart from discolouration of the free end-papers, virtually a mint copy. |