U.S. state, from Latinized form of Spanish montaña "mountain," from Latin mont-, stem of mons (see mountain). Proposed 1864 by U.S. Rep. James H. Ashley of Ohio when it was created as a territory from Nebraska Territory, in reference to the Rocky Mountains, which however traverse only one end of it. Admitted as a state 1889. Related: Montanan.
State in the northwestern United States, lying partly in the Rocky Mountains, bordered by British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, Canada, to the north; North Dakota and South Dakota to the east; Wyoming to the south; and Idaho to the west. Its capital is Helena, and its largest city is Billings.