open cutn.adj.
/ˌəʊp(ə)nˈkʌt/, U.S. /ˈoʊp(ə)nˈkət/ (in sense B.)Brit. /ˈəʊp(ə)nkʌt/, U.S. /ˈoʊp(ə)nˌkət/ Mining.
A. n.
An excavation which is open to the surface; = opencast n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > mine by type of operation
stream-work1586
opencast?a1650
lavatory1712
lavadero1717
coffin1778
whole working1842
open cut1848
dry- or wet-diggings1849
river diggings1850
placer digging1851
placer working1867
drift mine1882
strip mine1934
1848 Sci. Amer. 5 Aug. 366/2 After getting down to a certain depth, they drifted along the vein, making an open cut.
1872 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 248 An open cut 30 feet long exposes a vein of rather solid-looking quartz.
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 160 Open cut, a surface-working, open to daylight.
1955 Proc. Colorado Sci. Soc. 16 102/1 Overburden... By some it is used to designate material of any nature..that overlies a deposit of useful materials, ores, or coal, especially those deposits that are mined from the surface by open cuts.
1992 New Scientist 4 July 51/2 The Panguna copper mine is a very large open-cut.
B. adj.
Usually in form open-cut. = opencast adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > mining > [adjective] > method of mining
open cut1869
underhand1877
open-pit1892
opencast1896
shortwall1912
1869 R. F. Burton Explor. Highlands Brazil I. xxxix. 418 The metal..was first worked on the ‘open-cut’ system, and afterwards by shafting.
1913 Amer. Year Bk. 1912 421/2 The eight-hour day in Arizona..has been extended to all open-cut workings and open-pit workings.
1974 China Reconstructs July 36/3 It has built 450 medium sized and small industrial units, including the Yamansu opencut iron mine in the desert.
1995 Vancouver Sun 15 Sept. d3 One of the industry's most productive and efficient open-cut mining operations.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1848