MOUNTAIN (O. Fr. montaigne; popular Lat. montanea, an adjectival form from the classical mons, montis, whence Eng. “mount,” a form usually used along with the name of an individual mountain, e.g. Mt Everest), a natural elevation of the earth's surface. The term properly connotes height superior to that of a hill (O. Eng. hyll, cognate with Lat. collis); but the distinction depends on the prominence of a given elevation in relation to its surroundings, and in some degree to the bold or gentle character of its outline.