mountain

[moun-tn] /ˈmaʊn tn/
noun
1.
a natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2000 feet (610 meters).
2.
a large mass of something resembling this, as in shape or size.
3.
a huge amount:
a mountain of incoming mail.
4.
(initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.
5.
Also called mountain wine. British Archaic. a sweet Malaga wine.
adjective
6.
of or pertaining to mountains:
mountain air.
7.
living, growing, or located in the mountains:
mountain people.
8.
resembling or suggesting a mountain, as in size.
Idioms
9.
make a mountain out of a molehill. molehill (def 2).
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English mountaine < Old French montaigne < Vulgar Latin *montānea, noun use of feminine of *montāneus, equivalent to Latin montān(us) mountainous (mont-, stem of mōns mountain + -ānus -an) + -eus adj. suffix
Related forms
mountainless, adjective
submountain, adjective
undermountain, noun
Examples from the web for mountain
  • They range from flat lakeside strolls to steep mountain peak climbs.
  • Moist soils, especially along canyons and mountain slopes in coniferous forests.
  • There was a man who lived down the road from us, a true mountain man.
  • This mountain range formed about 70 million years ago.
  • Of course you've already heard that the Hollywood sign and the entire mountain it resides on is for sale.
  • Living in the mountains may provide benefits beyond a picturesque view.
  • Many of the other glaciers no longer reach the sea, retreating to their mountain lairs, folded moraines left behind them.
  • The outer layer of the mountain is composed of soft schist filled with water rivulets.
  • From the end of the train line we walked until we were almost to the mountain top and stopped in a small village.
  • Later, the same scientists strove to explain what fuels these erupting mountain ranges, called mid-ocean ridges.
British Dictionary definitions for mountain

mountain

/ˈmaʊntɪn/
noun
1.
  1. a natural upward projection of the earth's surface, higher and steeper than a hill and often having a rocky summit
  2. (as modifier): mountain people, mountain scenery
  3. (in combination): a mountaintop
2.
a huge heap or mass: a mountain of papers
3.
anything of great quantity or size
4.
a surplus of a commodity, esp in the European Union: the butter mountain
5.
(Brit, informal) a mountain to climb, a serious or considerable difficulty or obstruction to overcome
6.
make a mountain out of a molehill, See molehill (sense 2)
Word Origin
C13: from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin montānea (unattested) mountainous, from Latin montānus, from mons mountain

Mountain

/ˈmaʊntɪn/
noun
1.
the Mountain, an extremist faction during the French Revolution led by Danton and Robespierre
Word Origin
C18: so called because its members sat in the highest row of seats at the National Convention Hall in 1793
Word Origin and History for mountain
n.

c.1200, from Old French montaigne (Modern French montagne), from Vulgar Latin *montanea "mountain, mountain region," noun use of fem. of *montaneus "of a mountain, mountainous," from Latin montanus "mountainous, of mountains," from mons (genitive montis) "mountain" (see mount (n.)).

Until 18c., applied to a fairly low elevation if it was prominent (e.g. Sussex Downs, the hills around Paris). As an adjective from late 14c. Mountain dew "raw and inferior whiskey" first recorded 1839; earlier a type of Scotch whiskey (1816); Jamieson's 1825 "Supplement" to his Scottish dictionary defines it specifically as "A cant term for Highland whisky that has paid no duty." Mountain-climber recorded from 1839; mountain-climbing from 1836.

mountain in Science
mountain
  (moun'tən)   
A generally massive and usually steep-sided, raised portion of the Earth's surface. Mountains can occur as single peaks or as part of a long chain. They can form through volcanic activity, by erosion, or by uplift of the continental crust when two tectonic plates collide. The Himalayas, which are the highest mountains in the world, were formed when the plate carrying the landmass of India collided with the plate carrying the landmass of China.
Idioms and Phrases with mountain

mountain

see: