Where does “mountain” come from?
mountain (Middle English) comes from Middle English mountayne, from Anglo-Norman montaigne, from Latin montānia, from Latin montem, from Latin mons, from Proto-Indo-European monti, from Portuguese Monte, from Old Portuguese monte.
mountain (Middle English): Alternative form of mountayne
Definitions
- Alternative form of mountayne
Ancestry of “mountain”, step by step
mountain traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mountayne
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mountayne | A mountain; a mount or peak; A lump or pile |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | montaigne | — |
| 3 | Latin | montānia | mountainous area |
| 4 | Latin | montem | accusative singular of mōns; mountain |
| 5 | Latin | mons | mountain, mount; towering mass, heap, great... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | monti | — |
| 7 | Portuguese | Monte | mount; a mountain or large hill |
| 8 | Old Portuguese | monte | — |
via Old French muntaigne
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | muntaigne | mountain |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | montania | mountain |
| 3 | Latin | montanius | mountainous |
| 4 | Latin | montanus | of or pertaining to a mountain, especially— |
| 5 | Latin | -anus | Of or pertaining to; -ian |
| 6 | Latin | -um | nominative neuter singular of -us; accusative... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *-om | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *-oHom | — |
via Anglo-Norman muntaine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | muntaine | Alternative form of muntaigne |