Definitions
01the plant or flavour
A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun Cooking
n. a plant with a fresh smell and taste, used in cooking, tea, or sweets.
n. any aromatic plant of the genus Mentha, or the essential oil and flavouring derived from it.
Español:menta
“I love the taste of fresh mint in my lemonade during the summer.”
“The chef garnished the dessert with a sprig of fresh mint to contrast the richness of the dark chocolate.”
02a candy
A2 · Elementary Countable noun
n. a small, hard sweet that tastes like the mint plant, often used to make your breath smell fresh.
n. a peppermint-flavoured lozenge or candy, frequently consumed as a breath freshener.
“He offered me a mint after we finished our garlicky dinner.”
“She kept a small tin of extra-strong mints in her handbag for use before important client meetings.”
Synonyms
03place where money is made
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Law
n. a place where a country's official coins and notes are made.
n. a primary industrial facility or institution where a government authorises the production of legal tender.
“The royal mint is responsible for making all the new coins in the country.”
“The national mint increased production of the commemorative gold coins to meet the unexpected surge in collector demand.”
Synonyms
04a large amount of money
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Informal
n. a very large amount of money.
n. a vast sum of money; often used in the phrase 'to make a mint'.
“That tech company must be making a mint with their new app.”
“After the patent was approved, the inventors made a mint by selling the rights to a multinational corporation.”
Antonyms
05perfect condition
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. in perfect condition, looking exactly like it did when it was new.
adj. in original, pristine condition as if newly produced; frequently used by collectors of books, cars, or records.
“He sold his old comic book for a lot of money because it was in mint condition.”
“The vintage sports car was found in a garage, still in mint condition despite being thirty years old.”
Usage
Often used in the phrase 'in mint condition'.
06excellent
C1 · Advanced Slang · British English · Dialect
adj. very good or excellent.
adj. an adjective of high praise meaning excellent or very attractive.
“That new jacket you bought is absolutely mint.”
“The atmosphere at the concert last night was mint, and the band played all their best hits.”
07to create money or tokens
B2 · Upper Intermediate Computing
v. to make new coins or to create a new digital currency.
v. to manufacture coins by stamping metal; in modern contexts, to create a new digital asset or NFT on a blockchain.
“The government decided to mint more coins to celebrate the anniversary.”
“The artist announced they would mint a limited series of digital artworks on the blockchain next Tuesday.”
Real-World Examples
“In 1926, for the 150th anniversary of the country, the US Mint struck a coin featuring side-by-side portraits of George Washington and Calvin Coolidge, a president who was in office at the time.” “The Royal Mint says shoppers and collectors should discover the coins, which were minted and dated in 2023 and 2026, across the country.” Etymology
From Middle English mynt, münet (“money, coin”), from Old English mynet (“coin”), from late Proto-West Germanic *munit, from Latin monēta (“place for making coins, coined money”), from the temple of Juno Moneta (named for Monēta mother of the Muses), where coins were made. Doublet of money and manat. The verb is from the noun; Old English mynetian (“to mint”) is a parallel formation.
From Middle English mynte, from Old English minte (“mint plant”), from Proto-West Germanic *mintā (“mint”), from Latin menta, probably from a lost Mediterranean language either through Ancient Greek μίνθη (mínthē), μίνθα (míntha) or directly. Akin to Old Norse minta (“mint”). Doublet of mentha.
From Middle English minten, from Old English myntan (“to mean, intend, purpose, determine, resolve”), from Proto-West Germanic muntijan (“to think, consider”), from Proto-Indo-European men-, *mnā- (“to think”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian mintsje, muntsje (“to aim, target”), Dutch munten (“to aim at, target”), German Low German münten (“to aim at”), German münzen (“to aim at”), Dutch monter (“cheerful, gladsome, spry”), Gothic 𐌼𐌿𐌽𐍃 (muns, “thought, opinion”), Old English munan (“to be mindful of, consider, intend”). More at mind.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Idioms
01. mint condition
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/mint
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0