mountain
/ˈmaʊntən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmaʊntn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmau̇n-tᵊn/ (ame, mw)
mountain — noun
- mountainsingular
- mountainsplural
1. a very tall landform that rises high above the ground around it, with steep side
a very tall landform that rises high above the ground around it, with steep sides and a pointed or rounded top where snow often settles during cold weather; far bigger than a hill.
The children could see the snowy mountain from their bedroom window.
collocation: snowy mountain
Last summer, Sivan and her father climbed a mountain in the Alps.
collocation: climb a mountain
From the top of the mountain, the whole valley looked tiny.
A thick layer of cloud covered the mountain before sunrise.
The mountain path was too steep for the old horse to walk on.
- peak
focuses on the pointed top of a mountain, or can refer to the mountain itself
- summit
specifically the very highest point of a mountain, not the whole landform
- mount
used in proper names before the specific name (Mount Everest), not as a general standalone noun
- height
literary or formal term for a high place or hill
- valley
a low area between mountains or hills
文法句型
the [mountain]
[mountain] + noun (mountain path, mountain peak)
用法筆記
In proper names of specific peaks, the form 'Mount' is used before the name (Mount Everest, Mount Fuji), while 'mountain' appears after the name or in range names (the Rocky Mountains, the Blue Mountain range).
常見錯誤
2. a very large pile, heap, or quantity of something, often enough to feel overwhel
a very large pile, heap, or quantity of something, often enough to feel overwhelming or difficult to manage.
After the holiday, Tara had a mountain of laundry to wash.
pattern: a mountain of + noun
Felipe faced a mountain of paperwork on his first day at work.
Dario worried about the mountain of debt his family had to pay back.
There was a mountain of dirty dishes in the kitchen after the party.
Mira found a mountain of emails waiting after just one week off.
文法句型
a mountain of + noun (plural/uncountable)
用法筆記
Almost always used in the pattern 'a mountain of + noun' (a mountain of work, a mountain of problems). The image is of a pile so large that it is daunting to deal with. Uncommon in plural form for this sense.
常見錯誤
3. a very large supply of a food product that a government or trade organisation ke
a very large supply of a food product that a government or trade organisation keeps in storage instead of putting it on the market, in order to control prices and prevent them from dropping too low.
The European Union created a butter mountain to support dairy farmers.
compound noun: butter mountain
The government sold part of its grain mountain to bring down food prices.
compound noun: grain mountain
Wine mountains in France led to new rules on how much farmers could grow.
The milk mountain grew so large that storage costs became a problem.
Critics argued that the food mountain was wasteful and should be given away.
文法句型
[food type] + mountain (butter mountain, wine mountain)
用法筆記
Most commonly found in discussions of European agricultural policy, especially related to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. The term is often used in journalistic writing. Common compound forms include 'butter mountain', 'wine mountain', 'grain mountain', and 'milk mountain'. This sense is not used for ordinary large purchases by individuals.