minefield · noun — an area in which land mines or naval mines have been laid. It carries an Arena rating of 1549, earned across 37 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, minefield ranks #328 of 17,144 for Most Malleable Words, #479 of 17,135 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #520 of 17,144 for Scariest Words, #1,151 of 17,144 for Most Vivid Words.
minefield is pronounced /ˈmaɪnˌfild/.
Why “minefield” is a great word
MINEFIELD — [Noun] An area of land sown with concealed explosive devices, or any figurative situation dense with hidden and unpredictable perils. From mine (an explosive device) + field (an area of open land). First recorded in English 1885–90. Unlike a 'hazard,' which is a general and often visible danger, or a 'quagmire,' which suggests a slow, engulfing mire, a minefield is a terrain of specific, latent, and catastrophic consequences triggered by precise missteps. It is the farmer's meadow turned lethal by an army's retreat, the innocuous question at a family dinner that plunges the room into frozen silence, the meticulous rereading of a document for trapdoor clauses. To navigate one is to move with a terrible lightness, forever mapping ground already charted by fear.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From mine + field. Compare Saterland Frisian Mienenfäield (“minefield”), West Frisian mynfjild (“minefield”), Dutch mijnenveld (“minefield”), German Low German Minenfeld (“minefield”), German Minenfeld (“minefield”), Danish minefelt (“minefield”), Swedish minfält (“minefield”).
noun
- An area in which land mines or naval mines have been laid.
- A matter or situation presenting multiple risks, dangers, complications or difficulties.e.g.“Be careful. Foreign property investments are a minefield, and some people have lost a lot of money.”
- A pitch that has dried out and crumbled and on which the ball is bouncing and spinning unpredictably.
- A quiz that terminates when the test-taker answers a question incorrectly.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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