mountainous

English

Etymology

From mountain +‎ -ous after Middle French montagneux, from Late Latin montāniōsus, from montānia, from Latin montem (“mountain”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmaʊn.tɪn.əs/
• (US, General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈmaʊn.tən.əs/, [ˈmæʊn.tn̩.əs], [-ʔn̩-], [ˈmæ̃ʊ̃(n)-]

Adjective

mountainous (comparative more mountainous, superlative most mountainous)

1. Having many mountains; characterized by mountains; of the nature of a mountain; rough (terrain); rocky.
2. Resembling a mountain, especially in size; huge; towering.
   • 2016 November 28, Mike Vorkunov, “Despite Flash of Rose’s Prime, Knicks Are Dazed by Westbrook and Thunder”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     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.

3. (figuratively, of a problem or task) Very difficult.
4. (obsolete) Inhabiting mountains; hence, barbarous.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:large

Derived terms

• intramountainous (adjective)
• mountainously (adverb)
• mountainousness (noun)
• nonmountainous (adjective)
• unmountainous (adjective)

 

Related terms

• mountain (noun)

 

Translations

having many mountains

• Armenian: լեռնային (hy) (leṙnayin)
• Asturian: montosu (ast)
• Azerbaijani: dağlıq (az)
• Belarusian: гары́сты (be) (harýsty)
• Bulgarian: плани́нски (planínski)
• Catalan: muntanyós (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 多山的 (zh) (duōshān de)

• Czech: hornatý (cs)
• Danish: bjergrig
• Dutch: bergachtig (nl)
• Esperanto: montara, montoza (eo)
• Finnish: vuoristoinen (fi)
• French: montagneux (fr)
• Galician: montañoso (gl)
• Georgian: მთიანი (mtiani)
• German: bergig (de), gebirgig (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ὀρεινός (oreinós)

• Hungarian: hegyes (hu), hegyi (hu), hegyvidéki
• Ido: montoza (io)
• Ingrian: mäekäs
• Irish: sléibhtiúil, sléibhteach
• Italian: montagnoso (it)
• Kazakh: таулы (tauly)
• Khakas: тағлығ (tağlığ)
• Latin: montōsus
• Macedonian: планински (planinski)
• Middle English: mountuous
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: уулархаг (mn) (uularxag), уулархуу (uularxuu)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fjellrik

  Nynorsk: fjellrik

• Persian: کوهستانی‎ (fa) (kuhestâni)
• Piedmontese: montagnos, montos
• Plautdietsch: boajich
• Polish: górzysty (pl)
• Portuguese: montanhoso (pt)
• Romansch: alpin
• Russian: гори́стый (ru) (gorístyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: beanntach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: пла̀нӣнскӣ, брдо̀вит, го̀рскӣ, горо̀вит

  Roman: plànīnskī (sh), brdòvit (sh), gòrskī (sh), goròvit (sh)

• Shor: тағлығ (tağlığ)
• Slovak: hornatý
• Slovene: gôrski
• Spanish: montañoso (es)
• Swedish: bergig (sv), fjällrik (sv)
• Tagalog: mabundok
• Tausug: mabūd
• Turkish: dağlık (tr)
• Tuvan: даглыг (daglıg)
• Ukrainian: гори́стий (horýstyj)
• Uzbek: togʻlik (uz)
• Welsh: mynyddog (cy)
• Yakut: хайалаах (qayalaaq)

resembling a mountain

• Czech: ohromný (cs), obrovský (cs)
• Esperanto: monta
• Finnish: järkälemäinen (fi), vuorenkokoinen, jättimäinen (fi)
• Russian: гороподо́бный (goropodóbnyj)

very difficult

• Finnish: visainen (fi)

See also

• hilly