stollen
9.9
A nearly horizontal tunnel dug into a hillside to reach or drain a mine
- noun
- Archaic
:
galería
- The miners dug deeper into the stollen to reach the rich vein of ore.
Examples
-
They discovered a hidden stollen that led straight to the main chamber of the mine.
-
The engineer designed a new stollen for improved drainage of the underground water.
-
Stollen, you take charge of the search in the hills.
Synonyms
1
7.2
A nearly flat tunnel in a mine for access and moving minerals
emphasizes drainage and ore working rather than ventilation or hauling
8.8
A nearly horizontal tunnel dug underground for miners to move through
includes drainage and ore working as specific purposes
How Big
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word stollen comes from German where it first meant a 'post' or 'support' used in old mines, and because miners used these supports in their passages the name moved to the passage itself. So a stollen is a nearly horizontal mine tunnel used for access, drainage, or working ore.