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colliery

colliery

1 9.9
A coal mine with its buildings and equipment
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːliəri/
  • Archaic
translation icon : mina de carbón
  • The Shirebrook colliery was known for its extensive network of tunnels and hardworking miners.

Examples

  • In the mid-80s, Keith Pattinson documented the miners' strike in the Easington Colliery.

    Blog text (10)
  • Have you ever been down the collieries?

  • I will go down the colliery with you, sir.

  • The colliery is no place for you.

  • - I am going down the colliery.

  • Speaker, the Shirebrook Colliery employed thousands of workers in skilled, well paid, unionised jobs digging coal.

  • Many families relied on the local colliery for their livelihoods during the coal boom.

  • Safety regulations at the colliery have improved significantly over the past decade.

Synonyms

working
vscolliery
866 6.4

A part of a mine or quarry where people dig for minerals

includes permanent buildings and equipment as part of the complete site
pit
vscolliery
230 3.6

A large hole in the ground used for mining

denotes the full industrial site with buildings and equipment used to extract coal
mine
vscolliery
178 5.7

A hole in the ground where people dig for minerals like coal or gold

is specific to coal and also covers the surrounding buildings and equipment
coal mine
vscolliery
26 2.8

A place underground where people dig coal

includes the above plus the buildings and equipment around it
minery
vscolliery
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A place where people dig minerals from the ground

is the modern common term that also names the buildings and equipment too
coalpit
vscolliery
  • Archaic
7.5

A place where people dig coal from the ground

refers to the full site including buildings and equipment rather than just the shaft
workings
vscolliery
  • Specialized
5.8

A place where people remove minerals from the ground now or in the past

focuses on the whole site including buildings and equipment rather than just the extraction areas

How Big

coalfield
3 4.6
colliery
  • Archaic
1 9.9
mine
178 5.7
pit
230 3.6

Surface Forms

colliery singular
collieries plural

Morphology

colliery = coal (transparent) = coal + ery

Meaning is directly derived from the base 'coal' plus the productive suffix '-ery' indicating a place or collection related to coal; despite a vowel change in the surface form, the components are recognizable.

Etymology

The word colliery comes from coal and the place ending -ery, where -ery means 'a place for' and coal is the black rock you burn for heat. So a colliery is a place for coal, a coal mine and its buildings.