Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Mountain
Moun′tain
,Noun.
[OE.
mountaine
, montaine
, F. montagne
, LL. montanea
, montania
, fr. L. mons
, montis
, a mountain; cf. montanus
belonging to a mountain. See 1st Mount
.] 1.
A large mass of earth and rock, rising above the common level of the earth or adjacent land; earth and rock forming an isolated peak or a ridge; an eminence higher than a hill; a mount.
2.
pl.
A range, chain, or group of such elevations;
as, the White
. Mountains
3.
A mountainlike mass; something of great bulk; a large quantity.
I should have been a
mountain
of mummy. Shakespeare
The Mountain
(La montagne
) (French Hist.)
, a popular name given in 1793 to a party of extreme Jacobins in the National Convention, who occupied the highest rows of seats.
Moun′tain
(moun′tĭn)
, Adj.
1.
Of or pertaining to a mountain or mountains; growing or living on a mountain; found on or peculiar to mountains; among mountains;
as, a
mountain
torrent; mountain
pines; mountain
goats; mountain
air; mountain
howitzer.2.
Like a mountain; mountainous; vast; very great.
The high, the
mountain
majesty of worth. Byron.
Mountain antelope
(Zool.)
, the goral.
– Mountain ash
(Bot.)
, an ornamental tree, the
– Pyrus Americana
(or Sorbus Americana
), producing beautiful bunches of red berries. Its leaves are pinnate, and its flowers white, growing in fragrant clusters. The European species is the Pyrus aucuparia
, or rowan tree. Mountain barometer
, a portable barometer, adapted for safe transportation, used in measuring the heights of mountains.
– Mountain beaver
(Zool.)
, the sewellel.
– Mountain blue
(Min.)
, blue carbonate of copper; azurite.
– Mountain cat
(Zool.)
, the catamount. See
– Catamount
. Mountain chain
, a series of contiguous mountain ranges, generally in parallel or consecutive lines or curves.
– Mountain cock
(Zool.)
, capercailzie. See
– Capercailzie
. Mountain cork
(Min.)
, a variety of asbestus, resembling cork in its texture.
– Mountain crystal
. See under
– Crystal
. Mountain damson
(Bot.)
, a large tree of the genus
– Simaruba
(Simaruba amarga
) growing in the West Indies, which affords a bitter tonic and astringent, sometimes used in medicine. Mountain dew
, Scotch whisky, so called because often illicitly distilled among the mountains.
[Humorous]
– Mountain ebony
(Bot.)
, a small leguminous tree (
– Bauhinia variegata
) of the East and West Indies; – so called because of its dark wood. The bark is used medicinally and in tanning. Mountain flax
(Min.)
, a variety of asbestus, having very fine fibers; amianthus. See
– Amianthus
. Mountain fringe
(Bot.)
, climbing fumitory. See under
– Fumitory
. Mountain goat
. (Zool.)
See
– Mazama
. Mountain green
. (Min.)
(a)
Green malachite, or carbonate of copper
. (b)
– Mountain holly
(Bot.)
, a branching shrub (
– Nemopanthes Canadensis
), having smooth oblong leaves and red berries. It is found in the Northern United States. Mountain laurel
(Bot.)
, an American shrub (
– Kalmia latifolia
) with glossy evergreen leaves and showy clusters of rose-colored or white flowers. The foliage is poisonous. Called also American laurel
, ivy bush
, and calico bush
. See Kalmia
. Mountain leather
(Min.)
, a variety of asbestus, resembling leather in its texture.
– Mountain licorice
(Bot.)
, a plant of the genus
– Trifolium
(Trifolium Alpinum
). Mountain limestone
(Geol.)
, a series of marine limestone strata below the coal measures, and above the old red standstone of Great Britain. See Chart of
– Geology
. Mountain linnet
(Zool.)
, the twite.
– Mountain magpie
. (Zool.)
(a)
The yaffle, or green woodpecker
. (b)
The European gray shrike.
– Mountain mahogany
(Bot.)
See under
– Mahogany
. Mountain meal
(Min.)
, a light powdery variety of calcite, occurring as an efflorescence.
– Mountain milk
(Min.)
, a soft spongy variety of carbonate of lime.
– Mountain mint
. (Bot.)
See
– Mint
. Mountain ousel
(Zool.)
, – Mountain pride
, or
Mountain green
(Bot.)
, a tree of Jamaica (
– Spathelia simplex
), which has an unbranched palmlike stem, and a terminal cluster of large, pinnate leaves. Mountain quail
(Zool.)
, the plumed partridge (
– Oreortyx pictus
) of California. It has two long, slender, plumelike feathers on the head. The throat and sides are chestnut; the belly is brown with transverse bars of black and white; the neck and breast are dark gray. Mountain range
, a series of mountains closely related in position and direction.
– Mountain rice
. (Bot.)
(a)
An upland variety of rice, grown without irrigation, in some parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States
. (b)
An American genus of grasses (
– Oryzopsis
). Mountain rose
(Bot.)
, a species of rose with solitary flowers, growing in the mountains of Europe (
– Rosa alpina
). Mountain soap
(Min.)
, a soft earthy mineral, of a brownish color, used in crayon painting; saxonite.
– Mountain sorrel
(Bot.)
, a low perennial plant (
Oxyria digyna
with rounded kidney-form leaves, and small greenish flowers, found in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and in high northern latitudes. Gray.
– Mountain sparrow
(Zool.)
, the European tree sparrow.
– Mountain spinach
. (Bot.)
See
– Orach
. Mountain tobacco
(Bot.)
, a composite plant (
– Arnica montana
) of Europe; called also leopard’s bane
. Mountain witch
(Zool.)
, a ground pigeon of Jamaica, of the genus
Geotrygon
.Webster 1828 Edition
Mountain
MOUNT'AIN
,Noun.
MOUNT'AIN
,Adj.
Definition 2024
Mountain
mountain
mountain
English
A mountain (large mass of rock)
Noun
mountain (plural mountains)
- A large mass of earth and rock, rising above the common level of the earth or adjacent land, usually given by geographers as above 1000 feet in height (or 304.8 metres), though such masses may still be described as hills in comparison with larger mountains.
- Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
- We spent the weekend hiking in the mountains.
- A large amount.
- There's still a mountain of work to do.
- (figuratively) A difficult task or challenge.
- (figuratively) A thick breast of a lady.
Usage notes
As with the names of riversg and lakes, the names of mountains are typically formed by adding the generic word before or after the unique term. In the case of mountains, when the word precedes the unique term, mount is used: Mount Olympus, Mount Everest, Mount Tai; when the word follows the unique term, mountain is used: Crowfoot Mountain, Blue Mountain, Rugged Mountain. Generally speaking, such names will be adjectives or attributive nouns, but many foreign placenames formed with adjectives—as China's Huashan—are translated as though they were proper names: Mount Hua instead of Hua Mountain or Flourishing Mountain.
Mountain chains are never named with mount, only with mountains, a translated term, or a pluralized name.
Derived terms
Terms derived from mountain
Related terms
Translations
large mass of earth and rock
|
|
large amount
|
See also
- Category:Mountains
References
- mountain in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- mountain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913