Mountayne

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic form of mountain, meaning a very high natural elevation of the earth's surface rising steeply above the surrounding land
2. An older spelling for a large, steep rise of land that towers far above the surrounding terrain and often has a rocky summit
3. A former variant of the word for a huge upthrust of rock and earth, higher and steeper than any hill in the surrounding area

Etymology: "Mountayne" is a Middle English spelling of "mountain," the form the word took after English borrowed it from Old French "montaigne." The French word came from Late Latin "montanea," a noun derived from the adjective "montanus," meaning "of the mountains." That adjective was built on Latin "mons," "mountain," so the English word traces back through a chain of French and Latin forms to a single Latin root. The spelling with "y" and "-ayne" preserves the French ending, which medieval English writers often kept before spelling conventions settled into the modern form.