Dolomites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mountain range in northeastern Italy known for its distinctive pale rock formations and dramatic scenery
2. A section of the Southern Alps that is part of the Dolomitic mountain system
3. A UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its unique geological features and alpine landscape

Etymology: The mountains take their name from a mineral, and the mineral took its name from a French geologist. Déodat de Dolomieu (1750–1801) studied the pale rock of the Alps and described it in 1791, and the rock was then named "dolomite" in his honour in March 1792 by Nicolas de Saussure, who coined the term in French. The "-ite" ending is the standard suffix for minerals and rocks, so the name reads as "Dolomieu's stone." The mountains came later. The Dolomites are a range in northeastern Italy whose pale, rock-heavy peaks are made largely of this mineral, so geologists' label for the stone became the name of the landscape. The plural form simply refers to the many peaks and ranges that make up the region.