mountain

[ moun-tn ]

/ ˈmaʊn tn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mountain ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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).

a large mass of something resembling this, as in shape or size.

a huge amount: a mountain of incoming mail.

(initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.

Also called mountain wine. British Archaic. a sweet Malaga wine.

adjective

of or relating to mountains: mountain air.

living, growing, or located in the mountains: mountain people.

resembling or suggesting a mountain, as in size.

Words nearby mountain

mount vernon, mount vesuvius, mount washington, mount whitney, mount wilson observatory, mountain, mountain ash, mountain avens, mountain beaver, mountain bike, mountain bluebird

Idioms for mountain

make a mountain out of a molehill. molehill(def 2).

Origin of mountain

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

OTHER WORDS FROM mountain

moun·tain·less, adjectivesub·moun·tain, adjectiveun·der·moun·tain, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for mountain

Then they came up against a police patrol on mountain bicycles, which again led to more shooting, without injuries.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects|Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Also in Germany, he made The Mountain Eagle, which was set, Hitchcock recalled, “in Old Kentucky, wherever that might be.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were rumors that Schmidt was motivated by buried treasure or another secret of the mountain, but they were never proven.
The Mole Man’s Tunnel to Nowhere|Nina Strochlic|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then, he set to work building a shortcut that would take the minable minerals he found through the mountain.
The Mole Man’s Tunnel to Nowhere|Nina Strochlic|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For years, William Schmidt single-handedly dug a tunnel through a mountain to transport his gold-rush loot.
The Mole Man’s Tunnel to Nowhere|Nina Strochlic|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We simply tumbled down the mountain, like two rocks detached from its peak.
The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery|Samuel Adams Drake
At intervals, tempting cross-roads branched away to mountain springs.
Bransford of Rainbow Range|Eugene Manlove Rhodes
They all made a tour of the mine which had been dug a considerable distance into the mountain.
Deadwood Dick, The Prince of the Road|Edward L. Wheeler
On the summit of a height called Mostyn mountain, is a monumental stone denominated Maen Achwynfan (the stone of lamentation).
Curiousities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol. 1|Thomas Dugdale
The mountain districts also cannot be excelled in this respect.
The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky Mountains, from Facts Narrated by Himself|De Witt C. Peters

British Dictionary definitions for mountain (1 of 2)

mountain

/ (ˈmaʊntɪn) /

noun

a natural upward projection of the earth's surface, higher and steeper than a hill and often having a rocky summit
(as modifier)mountain people; mountain scenery
(in combination)a mountaintop

a huge heap or massa mountain of papers

anything of great quantity or size

a surplus of a commodity, esp in the European Unionthe butter mountain

a mountain to climb British informal a serious or considerable difficulty or obstruction to overcome

make a mountain out of a molehill See molehill (def. 2)

Word Origin for mountain

C13: from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin montānea (unattested) mountainous, from Latin montānus, from mons mountain

British Dictionary definitions for mountain (2 of 2)

Mountain

/ (ˈmaʊntɪn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for Mountain

C18: so called because its members sat in the highest row of seats at the National Convention Hall in 1793

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for mountain

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

mountain

noun

adjective

Words related to mountain

Words nearby mountain

Idioms for mountain

Origin of mountain

OTHER WORDS FROM mountain

Examples from the Web for mountain

British Dictionary definitions for mountain (1 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for mountain

British Dictionary definitions for mountain (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for Mountain

Scientific definitions for mountain

Idioms and Phrases with mountain