mountain

American  

[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 2,000 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

1. of or relating to mountains.

   mountain air.

2. living, growing, or located in the mountains.

   mountain people.

3. resembling or suggesting a mountain, as in size.

idioms

1. make a mountain out of a molehill. molehill.

mountain ¹ British  

/ 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. informal a serious or considerable difficulty or obstruction to overcome

6. See molehill

---

Mountain ² British  

/ ˈmaʊntɪn /

noun

1. an extremist faction during the French Revolution led by Danton and Robespierre

---

mountain Scientific  

/ moun′tən /

1. 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.

---

mountain More Idioms  

1. see if the mountain won't come to Muhammad; make a mountain out of a molehill.

---

Other Word Forms

• mountainless adjective
• submountain adjective
• undermountain noun

Etymology

Origin of mountain

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English mountaine, from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin montānea (unrecorded), noun use of feminine of montāneus (unrecorded), from Latin montān(us) “mountainous” (from mont-, stem of mōns “hill, mountain” + -ānus -an ) + -eus, adjective suffix

Example Sentences

A month of record-shattering heat thawed the snow and sent runoff coursing into streams and rivers, leaving only minimal water in the mountains as the state heads into dry season.

From Los Angeles Times

Photographs on local media show mountains engulfed by flames, with some residents likening the blazes to "volcanoes erupting", according to local news outlet Khaosod.

From BBC

The water that poured out of the lake picked up stones, sand and other sediment as it flowed through the rocky mountain channels, triggering a series of landslides along the way.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The landscape shifted so dramatically that we had to reset, otherwise we were going to be climbing this mountain for more than a decade,” Jacobson said at the town hall.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a Facebook post, mountain rescue said the climbing leader was uninjured after the fall and managed to regain the belay device which helps to keep the climbers safe.

From BBC

Related Words

• alp
• bluff
• butte
• cliff
• crag
• elevation
• eminence
• height
• mesa
• mount
• palisade
• peak
• pike
• precipice
• range
• ridge
• sierra
• tor
• volcano