countermine

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈkaʊntɚˌmaɪn/ UK /ˈkaʊntəˌmaɪn/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to thwart an enemy's mine by digging a counter-tunnel; to counter a hostile scheme

The defenders worked through the night to countermine the besiegers' tunnel.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to thwart an enemy's mine... thwart foil frustrate undermine counterplot

Word family

Related forms counter mine undermine

Etymology

From 'counter-' ('against') plus 'mine' (a tunnel dug under fortifications). 'Mine' is from Old French 'mine', of Celtic origin.

contra Latin mine French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# countermine

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkaʊntɚˌmaɪn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkaʊntəˌmaɪn/

## Meanings
1. to thwart an enemy's mine by digging a counter-tunnel; to counter a hostile scheme

## Examples
- The defenders worked through the night to countermine the besiegers' tunnel.

## Synonyms
- thwart
- foil
- frustrate
- undermine
- counterplot

## Related Forms
- counter
- mine
- undermine

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: contra
- Root: mine

## Etymology
From 'counter-' ('against') plus 'mine' (a tunnel dug under fortifications). 'Mine' is from Old French 'mine', of Celtic origin.

## AI Etymology
Countermine is a verb and noun meaning "to thwart an enemy's mine by digging a counter-tunnel; to counter a hostile scheme". Historically, it is from 'counter-' ('against') plus 'mine' (a tunnel dug under fortifications). 'Mine' is from Old French 'mine', of Celtic origin. The visible construction is part of the etymology: countermine is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The historical chain links Latin contra with Old French mine. Close English family members include counter, mine, and undermine.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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