[mahy-nuh] 
[-nee] , -nas. | an ancient unit of weight and value equal to the sixtieth part of a talent. |
| mi·na 1 (mī'nə) n. pl. mi·nas or mi·nae (-nē) A varying unit of weight or money used in ancient Greece and Asia. [Latin, from Greek mnā, from Akkadian manû, a unit of weight, from manû, to count; see mnw in Semitic roots.] |
| mi·na 2 (mī'nə) n. Variant of myna. |
| my·na or my·nah also mi·na (mī'nə) n. Any of various starlings of southeast Asia, having bluish-black or dark brown coloration and yellow bills. Certain species, especially the hill myna (Gracula religiosa), are known for mimicry of human speech. [Hindi mainā, perhaps from Sanskrit madanaḥ, from madana-, delightful, joyful, from madati, it bubbles.] |
mina
the earliest of all known units of weight, created by the Babylonians and used by the Hittites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Hebrews, and Greeks. Its weight and relationship to its major subdivisions varied at different times and places in the ancient world. In one surviving form, from the Babylonian period, the mina weighs about 640 grams, while in another it weighs 978 grams
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