mountainous
/ˈmaʊn.tɪ.nəs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.38 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Having many mountains; characterized by mountains; of the nature of a mountain; rough (terrain); rocky.
adj
Resembling a mountain, especially in size; huge; towering.
adj
Very difficult.
Example Sentences
- "[Water vapour bubbles] hit againſt the ſides of the more eminent and Mountainous Places, of the Globe, and by this Concuſſion are condenſed, and thus become heavier than the Air they ſvvom in, and ſo gleet dovvn the rocky Caverns of theſe Mountains, […]"
- "The mountainous nature of Norway has always been a serious obstacle to the development of railways, and although some 2,700 route miles are now open for traffic, several schemes have yet to be completed."
- "While the physical and human toll now is likely to be lower, the mountainous terrain and dispersed population make the response to Helene tough to manage and could slow the transition to a recovery phase, after power and other services are restored."
- "But the added size did not give them an advantage this time. Not when Kanter and Adams, two mountainous players, could match the Knicks’ girth with their own."
- "As Brazil faced the mountainous task of completing an Olympic venue before the opening ceremony, Chinese netizens got busy molehilling a remark by a Rio construction manager about their China supplier."
Etymology
From mountain + -ous after Middle French montagneux, from Late Latin montāniōsus, from montānia, from Latin montem (“mountain”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmaʊn.tɪ.nəs/
- British English: /ˈmaʊn.tɪ.nəs/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more mountainous (comparative)
most mountainous (superlative)