Where does “mountainside” come from?
Mountainside is a compound of mountain and side, where side derives from Middle English side, Old English sīde, and Proto-Germanic sīdǭ, ultimately from Latin mons meaning mountain.
mountainside (English): The sloping side of a mountain
Definitions
- The sloping side of a mountain
Ancestry of “mountainside”, step by step
mountainside traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Side
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Side | A bounding straight edge of a two-dimensional shape |
| 2 | Middle English | side | custom |
| 3 | Old English | sīde | side, flank |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *sīdā | side |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | sida | — |
| 6 | Late Latin | seta | Alternative form of saeta; hair, bristle; bristle |
| 7 | Latin | saeta | a bristle, hair on an animal; silk |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | saitā | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₂ito- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sh₂ey- | to bind, fetter |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂- | to satiate, satisfy |
via English Mountain
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Mountain | a steam locomotive of the 4-8-2 wheel arrangement |
| 2 | Middle English | mountayne | A mountain; a mount or peak; A lump or pile |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | montaigne | — |
| 4 | Latin | montānia | mountainous area |
| 5 | Latin | montem | accusative singular of mōns; mountain |
| 6 | Latin | mons | mountain, mount; towering mass, heap, great... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | monti | — |
| 8 | Portuguese | Monte | mount; a mountain or large hill |
| 9 | Old Portuguese | monte | — |