mount

The word “mount” means a hill or mountain, especially used before a proper name. In plain terms, to climb up onto something, to fix something in place, to launch an effort, or to steadily build up — plus, as a noun, a hill or a riding animal.

“Mount” is pronounced mownt (/maʊnt/ in IPA).

Here is “mount” used in a sentence: “They set off early to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.”

Words with a similar meaning to “mount” include go to bed with and sleep with.

The opposite of “mount” — its antonyms — are dismount, demount and unmount.

Depending on how it is used, “mount” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “mount” comes from Latin. From Old English munt, borrowed from Latin mons ("mountain, hill") — the same root gives us "eminent" and "mount" as in Mount Everest.

“Mount” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

They refer to the same kind of landform, but usage differs. "Mount" is used directly before a name, as in Mount Everest or Mount Fuji, and is often shortened to "Mt." "Mountain" is the everyday general noun and usually follows the name or stands alone, as in "the mountain."

Use "Mount" as a title attached to the proper name of a specific peak — Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Sinai, Mount Rushmore. It is capitalised as part of the name and frequently abbreviated to "Mt." You would not use it for an unnamed hill, where "mountain" or "hill" fits better.

Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, is a well-known example, along with Mount Fuji in Japan and Mount Sinai in the Bible. In each case "Mount" sits before the name to mark a specific, named summit rather than describing a hill in general terms.