ENGLISH
REFERENCE

mina

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈminə// UK //mˈiːnɐ// mi·na Archaic

n. an ancient unit of weight or money used in Greece and the Middle East. It was worth about 100 drachmas.

n. an ancient unit of weight and currency used in Greece, Babylon, and Egypt. Typically represents a weight of approximately 430 to 600 grams or a monetary value of 100 drachmae.


SIMPLE

The merchant sold the grain for one mina of silver.

CONTEXTUAL

Archaeologists discovered ancient ledgers recording the trade of several minas of gold between the two city-states.

COMPLEX

In the classical Athenian monetary system, the mina served as an intermediate unit of account, representing one-sixtieth of a talent and consisting of one hundred silver drachmae.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic مِينَا (mīnā) and Sanskrit मीना (mīnā).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic مِنَى (minā).

Usage

Plural form is usually 'minas' or 'minae'.

© 2026 English Reference