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mint (n.1)

aromatic herb, plant of the genus Mentha, Old English minte (8c.), from West Germanic *minta (source also of Old Saxon minta, Middle Dutch mente, Old High German minza, German Minze), a borrowing from Latin menta, mentha "mint," itself from Greek minthē, personified as a nymph transformed into an herb by Proserpine, which is probably a loan-word from a lost Mediterranean language. For mint-julep, see julep.

mint (n.2)

place where money is coined, early 15c., from Old English mynet "coin, coinage, money" (8c.), from West Germanic *munita (source also of Old Saxon munita, Old Frisian menote, Middle Dutch munte, Old High German munizza, German münze), from Latin moneta "mint" (see money (n.) ). An earlier word for "place where money is coined" was minter (early 12c.). General sense of "a vast sum of money" is from 1650s. Mint-mark, "mark placed upon a coin to indicate the mint where it was struck," is from 1797.

also from early 15c.

mint (v.)

"to stamp metal to make coins," 1540s, from mint (n.2). Related: Minted; minting. Old English had the agent noun mynetere (Middle English minter) "one who stamps coins to create money," from Late Latin monetarius.

also from 1540s

mint (adj.)

"perfect" (like a freshly minted coin), 1887 (in mint condition), from mint (n.2).

also from 1887
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Trends of mint

updated on January 08, 2023

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