countermine C2+ Topic:Shopping & Services 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. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to thwart an enemy's mine... thwartfoilfrustrateunderminecounterplot Word family Related forms countermineundermine Etymology AI details 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 Shopping & Services External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # 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 - Shopping & Services markdown