Hillcrest

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The highest point or peak of a hill
2. The uppermost part of a raised landform or mound
3. The ridge or crest forming the top of a hillside

Etymology: Hillcrest is about as plain as compounds get: a hill on top of which sits a crest, the ridge or summit line where the slope ends. Both halves are old English-language words, so the compound needed no outside borrowing to take shape. The more useful point is how the pieces relate. "Crest" in the sense of the top edge of a ridge is an older, more literal use, and putting "hill" in front of it simply specifies which high ground is meant. The result is a name that describes a landform in the most direct way, which is why the word has spread as a place name and a common noun for ridge-top neighbourhoods and features.