minefield

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈmaɪnˌfild/ See IPA manual

Freq #19002

Meanings

1

noun
A situation full of hidden risks, dangers, or difficulties.

Be careful: foreign property investment can be a minefield for inexperienced buyers.
2

noun
An area of land or sea where explosive mines have been laid.

The soldiers carefully marked a safe path through the minefield.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms minefields

Etymology

From mine + field. Compare Saterland Frisian Mienenfäield (“minefield”), West Frisian mynfjild (“minefield”), Dutch mijnenveld (“minefield”), German Low German Minenfeld (“minefield”), German Minenfeld (“minefield”), Danish minefelt (“minefield”), Swedish minfält (“minefield”).

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# minefield

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmaɪnˌfild/
**Frequency rank:** 19002

## Meanings
1. A situation full of hidden risks, dangers, or difficulties.
2. An area of land or sea where explosive mines have been laid.

## Examples
- Be careful: foreign property investment can be a minefield for inexperienced buyers.
- The soldiers carefully marked a safe path through the minefield.

## Etymology
From mine + field. Compare Saterland Frisian Mienenfäield (“minefield”), West Frisian mynfjild (“minefield”), Dutch mijnenveld (“minefield”), German Low German Minenfeld (“minefield”), German Minenfeld (“minefield”), Danish minefelt (“minefield”), Swedish minfält (“minefield”).

## AI Etymology
Minefield is formed from mine + field. Compare Saterland Frisian Mienenfäield (“minefield”), West Frisian mynfjild (“minefield”), Dutch mijnenveld (“minefield”), German Low German Minenfeld (“minefield”), German Minenfeld (“minefield”), Danish minefelt (“minefield”), Swedish minfält (“minefield”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include a situation full of hidden risks, dangers, or difficulties and an area of land or sea where explosive mines have been laid.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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