DictionaryAI

mountain

noun
MOWN-tuhn/ˈmaʊn.t(ə)n/MOWN-tin/ˈmaʊn.tɪn/

Pluralmountains

6 meanings of mountain

Practice

  1. 1
    high landnouncountable
    A large landform that rises steeply and prominently above the surrounding land, usually with only a small area at its peak.

    The mountain rose sharply from the floor of the valley.

    Climbers spent weeks preparing to scale the mountain before winter set in.

    UsageBefore a name, use Mount: Mount Fuji. In the mountains means in mountain country, among many peaks.

    Similarpeak, mount

    Note

    The word began as a name for a whole region. The plural still carries that sense of upland country: to hike in the mountains is to be among many peaks, not on one. The King James Bible of 1611 sets the word beside its smaller neighbor, 'from mountain to hill', and it sits easily before nouns, as in mountain meadows.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • The Latin ancestor originally referred to a mountainous region. en.wiktionary.org
    • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. loc.gov
    • The King James Bible contains the phrase 'from mountain to hill', in Jeremiah 50:6. en.wikisource.org
  2. 2
    huge pilenouncountable
    A very large size or quantity of something; a huge heap or amount.

    After the holidays, a mountain of unopened mail sat by the front door.

    He faced a mountain of debt once the business collapsed.

    UsageMostly a mountain of + noun: a mountain of work. A mountain of a man is a very big man.

    Similarpile, heap, stack, mass

    Note

    The Economist used it in a 2002 headline, “A Mountain of Lies?”, letting scale carry the accusation. Unlike the 'hard task' meaning, it measures amount, not difficulty.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • The Economist published the headline “A Mountain of Lies?” in 2002; Wiktionary dates it to 9 December. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    hard tasknounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
    A difficult task or challenge, often one that feels overwhelming to overcome.

    Recovering from the scandal was a mountain the company never fully climbed.

    For a first-time author, finishing the manuscript can seem like a mountain.

    UsageCommon phrases include a mountain to climb and facing a mountain.

    Similarchallenge, hurdle, ordeal

    Note

    Here size has turned into difficulty: the picture is of something to be climbed, not counted. Sports reporting uses it for a deficit that looks impossible to recover. Phil Dawkes wrote in BBC Sport (2011) that Sunderland were “facing a mountain” five minutes into a game.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Phil Dawkes wrote in BBC Sport in 2011 that Sunderland were “facing a mountain” five minutes into a game. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    breastnounslangcountable
    A slang term for a woman's large breast.

    UsageCrude, and demeaning to many listeners; better recognized than used. In polite or medical writing say breast or chest.

  2. 5
    noun
    The twenty-first card of the Lenormand deck, used in cartomancy.
  3. 6
    noun
    A wine from Malaga produced from grapes grown on a mountain.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of mountain apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Middle English mountayne, borrowed through Anglo-Norman muntaine from Early Medieval Latin montānia, a collective form based on Latin montem ("mountain"). This traces back to Proto-Indo-European *monti and the root *men- ("to project, stick out"), with cognates such as Welsh mynydd ("mountain"). It displaced the native Old English words beorg and dūn.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts

  • Mountain comes from Middle English mountayne, borrowed from Anglo-Norman muntaine, ultimately from Early Medieval Latin montānia. en.wiktionary.org
  • Montānia is a collective formation based on Latin montem, meaning mountain. en.wiktionary.org
  • The etymology traces back to reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *monti. en.wiktionary.org
  • The ultimate root is *men-, meaning to project or stick out. en.wiktionary.org
  • Welsh mynydd means mountain and is cognate through the same Indo-European root. en.wiktionary.org
  • Mountain displaced the native words descended from Old English beorg and dūn. en.wiktionary.org