# mount

Pronunciation: say "MOWNT" /maʊnt/

## Verb

1. To fix something securely in place on a stand, frame, board, or other support, such as a camera on a tripod or a gun on a turret.
   - Simple: To fix something firmly onto a stand, frame, or other support so it stays in place.
   - _The technician mounted the camera on a sturdy tripod._
   - _Curators mount each specimen on acid-free board before display._
4. To increase steadily in quantity or intensity.
   - Simple: To grow bigger or stronger over time.
   - _Pressure mounted on the government to respond._
   - _Debts mount quickly when interest goes unpaid._
5. To organize and begin a campaign, attack, exhibition, play, or similar undertaking.
   - Simple: To plan and start something big, such as an attack, a campaign, a show, or a play.
   - _The general mounted a massive offensive along the river._
   - _Activists mount a fresh campaign every election season._
8. To place oneself on a horse, bicycle, or similar in order to ride.
   - Simple: To get up onto a horse, bike, or similar in order to ride it.
   - _The knight mounted his stallion before the tournament began._
   - _Riders mount their horses from the left side by tradition._
9. To go up; to climb something such as stairs or a hill, or to rise into the air.
   - Simple: To go up something, like stairs or a hill, or to rise up into the air.
   - _The procession mounted the hill toward the cathedral._
   - _Soldiers mount the ramparts at the first sign of attack._
7. To attach a drive or device to the file system so the operating system can access it.
   - Simple: To connect a drive or device so the computer can use it.
   - _The administrator mounted the network share on every workstation._
   - _Linux can mount many file systems, including ones created by other operating systems._
10. To get on top of another animal or person in order to have sex.
   - Simple: To climb on top of another animal or person to have sex.
   - _The ram mounted the ewe within minutes of being released._
   - _Each spring the farmer lets the bull mount the heifers._
12. To sit astride a combatant's torso facing the opponent's head, taking the dominant mount position in ground grappling.
   - Simple: To sit on top of a fighter's chest to control them in grappling.
   - _She mounted her opponent seconds after completing the takedown._
   - _Skilled grapplers mount their rivals to control the fight from the top._
14. To put someone on horseback, or to supply someone with animals for riding.
   - Simple: To put someone on a horse, or to give them a horse to ride.
   - _The estate mounted its guests on fine hunters for the chase._
   - _Cavalry units mount their soldiers on carefully bred horses._
15. To blend fat, especially butter, into a dish such as a sauce to finish it.
   - Simple: To stir cold butter or other fat into a sauce to make it smooth and rich.
   - _Cooks mount the reduction with cold butter to give it a silky finish._
   - _Just before plating, she mounted the sauce with a few cubes of butter._

## Noun

2. A hill or mountain, often a large or prominent one.
   - Simple: A tall, raised piece of land, like a hill or mountain.
   - _The pilgrims ascended the holy mount on foot._
   - _Even in late spring, snow still covered the top of Mount Washington._
3. A support, backing, or frame onto which another object is fixed.
   - Simple: A support or frame that holds another object in place.
   - _The photograph was displayed in a wide cream mount._
   - _Engineers designed a vibration-damping mount for the engine._
6. An animal, especially a horse, that a person rides; by extension, a bicycle, motorcycle, or car that a competitor uses in a race.
   - Simple: An animal, usually a horse, that someone rides. Also a bike or car used in a race.
   - _The cavalry officer fed and watered his mount after the patrol._
   - _A nervous mount can be difficult to control on rough terrain._
11. A dominant ground-grappling position in which one combatant sits astride the other's torso, facing the opponent's head.
   - Simple: A grappling position where one fighter sits on top of another's chest.
   - _She secured the mount and rained down punches from above._
   - _Escaping from the mount is one of the first skills a new grappler learns._
13. The act of getting onto a piece of gymnastics apparatus to begin a routine.
   - Simple: The first move in a gymnastics routine, when you climb onto the equipment.
   - _The gymnast's mount onto the uneven bars earned high marks from the panel._
   - _A controlled mount onto the beam helps set the rhythm for the rest of the exercise._
16. A green hillock depicted at the base of a heraldic shield.
   - Simple: A small green hill drawn at the bottom of a shield in a coat of arms.
   - _The shield showed a stag standing on a grassy mount._
   - _Heralds placed a green mount at the base to support the central figure._

## Noun

17. A cavalryman, one of the horsemen making up a cavalry unit or division. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A soldier on horseback who serves in a cavalry group.
20. A bulwark or raised mound built for attack or defense. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A raised wall or pile of earth built to attack or defend.
21. A bank or accumulated fund of money. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A store of money set aside for a shared purpose.

## Verb

18. To cause something to rise or ascend; to raise, elevate, or lift up. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To lift something up or make it rise higher.
19. To reach a total value; to amount to. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To add up to a certain amount or value.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A step or block used to help a person get onto a horse.
- (noun) Any of seven fleshy pads on the palm of the hand, each thought in palmistry to carry the influence of a heavenly body.
- (noun) A signal given to tell riders to get onto their horses.

## Origin

**Meanings 2, 16, 20–21** — Latin mōns ("a hill, mountain") came into Old English as munt, which became Middle English mount. The same root appears in ēmineō ("I project"), the source of English eminent. Mons is a doublet, and mound is not related.
**Meanings 1, 3–15, 17–19** — Latin montem ("mountain") gave Vulgar Latin *montāre ("climb"), which became Anglo-Norman munter and then Middle English mounten. Modern French monter is comparable.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mount (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).