mountaineering

[moun-tn-eer-ing]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mountaineering ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the sport of climbing mountains.

Origin of mountaineering

First recorded in 1795–1805; mountaineer + -ing¹

mountaineer

[moun-tn-eer]

noun

an inhabitant of a mountainous district.

a climber of mountains, especially for sport.

verb (used without object)

to climb mountains, especially for sport.

Origin of mountaineer

First recorded in 1600–10; mountain + -eer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mountaineering

hiking, alpinism

Examples from the Web for mountaineering

Contemporary Examples of mountaineering

Adventure sports and mountaineering could lure in travelers during the off season, but they are still limited.
Can Traditional Bhutan Survive Tourism?
Esha Chhabra
August 17, 2014
In the 19th century, when mountaineering was developing as a sport, the playing field was highly restricted.
Breaking Mount Everest’s Glass Ceiling
Amanda Padoan, Peter Zuckerman
March 30, 2014
Parrado was one of the men who set out without any mountaineering equipment to find help and save the other survivors.
Six Greatest Acts of Human Endurance
Nico Hines
November 6, 2013
On the phone, Garrett cites a New York-based explorer, Moses Gates, who compares urban exploration with mountaineering.
Urban Explorers Face Sewage, Rats, Vertigo, Claustrophobia and Cops
Josh Dzieza
October 5, 2013

Historical Examples of mountaineering

Just then Jean's horse, weary and unused to mountaineering, stumbled.
Two Penniless Princesses
Charlotte M. Yonge
I was in Switzerland two years ago, and am quite accustomed to mountaineering.
Rivers of Ice
R.M. Ballantyne
Professor McClure's barometer had a notable history in mountaineering.
Mount Rainier
Various
In mountaineering, all the party share the pleasures and the dangers.
True Tales of Mountain Adventures
Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond
None of these gentlemen had any experience of mountaineering.
True Tales of Mountain Adventures
Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond

British Dictionary definitions for mountaineering

mountaineer

noun

a person who climbs mountains

a person living in a mountainous area

verb

(intr) to climb mountains

Derived Formsmountaineering, noun

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

Word Origin and History for mountaineering

mountaineer

c.1600, "dweller in mountains," from mountain + -eer. Verb meaning "to be a mountain-climber" is from 1803.