36b) Terms and Idioms of Miners

This glossary of Cornish Miners’ Terms is taken from William Pryce’s classic work on the geology and mining industry of Cornwall, Mineralogia Cornubiensis, originally published in 1778. His detailed definitions are aimed at the lay reader, and because of his interests in Kernewek/Kernûak, he gives the Cornish origin of some of the entries; as he says in the foreword, “the idioms and terms of Corniſh Miners are moſtly derived from the ancient Corniſh Britiſh dialect.” To help the modern reader, the editor has added Cornish equivalent terms, wherever possible, in both Unified Cornish and Revived Late/Modern Cornish. We hope this specialist booklet will appeal both to those with an interest in the industrial history of Cornwall—once the world leader in hard-rock mining expertise,—as well as to those students of Kernewek/Kernûak who might wish to deepen their understanding of this technical register of the language, beyond what is given in general-purpose dictionaries.