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View synonyms for

mountain

[ moun-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 mountain 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.

Mountain

1

/ ˈʊԳɪ /

noun

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

mountain

2

/ ˈʊԳɪ /

noun

    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

  1. a huge heap or mass

    a mountain of papers

  2. anything of great quantity or size
  3. a surplus of a commodity, esp in the European Union

    the butter mountain

  4. a mountain to climb informal.
    a serious or considerable difficulty or obstruction to overcome
  5. make a mountain out of a molehill
“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

mountain

  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.
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Other Word Forms

  • dzܲt· adjective
  • ܲ·dzܲt adjective
  • ܲd·dzܲt noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mountain1

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English mountaine, from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin DzԳԱ (unrecorded), noun use of feminine of DzԳԱܲ (unrecorded), from Latin DzԳ(ܲ) “mountainous” (from mont-, stem of ōԲ “hill, mountain” + -Գܲ -an ) + -eus, adjective suffix
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mountain1

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

Origin of mountain2

C13: from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin DzԳԱ (unattested) mountainous, from Latin DzԳԳܲ, from mons mountain
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Idioms and Phrases

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

More idioms and phrases containing mountain

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

The waters of Xochimilco - shaped by traditional farming practices and flushed with spring water from the mountains - used to teem with these amphibians.

From

Nestled in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan sits the picturesque village of Sergele.

From

The ashram she built in the Santa Monica mountains was as subversive as any free school or fringe arts cohort, just without the shrillness of dogma.

From

The mountain of litigation continues California’s leading resistance role during Trump’s first administration, which involved some 120 lawsuits over four years.

From

And on the fringe of the mountains, the area is home to bears, deer and rabbits.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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