mountain
A large natural elevation of the earth's surface rising high above the surrounding level.
Etymology
From Middle English mountaine, from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin *montānea, from Latin mōns (mountain, genitive montis). Latin mōns derives from PIE *men- (to project, to stand out). The word replaced the native Old English beorg (hill, mountain). Related Latin words include prominent, eminent, and mount.
The Journey: *men- → mountain
*men-
mōns, montis
montaigne
mountaine
mountain
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *men-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Welsh | mynydd — mountain (from Latin) |
| French | montagne — mountain |
| Italian | montagna — mountain |
| Spanish | montaña — mountain |
Did You Know?
Montana, Vermont ('green mountain'), and Piedmont ('foot of the mountain') all derive from the same Latin root. The native English word for a mountain — beorg — survives in place names like Edinburgh and Glastonbury.