Reading Theme:
Mountain: Meaning, Examples, and Common Collocations (2 meaning)
Meaning 1：a high landform (mountain)
mountain
/ˈmaʊntɪn/
n.
A very high and large natural elevation of the earth's surface, much bigger than a hill.
a high landform
➕
/ə haɪ ˈlændfɔːrm/
n.
A mountain is a natural elevation of the earth's surface that rises significantly above the surrounding terrain, typically with steep sides and a peak.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
From Latin 'mont-' (mountain) + Old French suffix '-aine'.
💡 Mnemonic
A 'mount' is what you must conquer, and 'ain' sounds like 'gain' — gain the top!
📖 Example
After hours of hiking, we finally reached the mountain top and were rewarded with a breathtaking sunrise.
After hiking for hours, we finally arrived at the summit and were treated to a stunning sunrise.
🔗 Collocations
mountain range – A series of connected mountains
mountain peak – The pointed top of a mountain
mountain climbing – The sport of ascending mountains
🔄 Synonyms
🚫 Antonyms
valley (n.) – A low area between hills or mountains
plain (n.) – A large area of flat land with few trees
depression (n.) – A sunken area on the earth's surface
🌱 Derivatives
mountainous (adj.) – Full of mountains
mountaineer (n.) – A person who climbs mountains
mountaineering (n.) – The sport of climbing mountains
📖 Cultural Story
Derived from Latin 'mons, montis' via Old French 'montaigne'. It replaced Old English 'beorg' and 'dūn' in general use.
Meaning 2：a huge difficulty (mountain)
mountain
/ˈmaʊntɪn/
n.
A very large amount or a huge, difficult task that seems hard to deal with.
a huge difficulty
➕
/ə hjuːdʒ ˈdɪfɪkəlti/
n.
When something is described as a mountain, it means it is an extremely large or difficult task, problem, or amount that seems overwhelming.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
Learning a new language from scratch felt like a huge mountain to climb, but I took it one step at a time.
Starting to learn a brand new language seemed like an enormous challenge, yet I progressed gradually.
🔗 Collocations
a mountain of work – An enormous amount of work
a mountain of debt – A very large amount of debt
climb a mountain – To overcome a huge difficulty
🔄 Synonyms
🚫 Antonyms
breeze (n.) – An easily accomplished task
pleasure (n.) – Something enjoyable and easy
simplicity (n.) – The quality of being easy
🌱 Derivatives
mountainous (adj.) – Enormous in size or amount
mountainlike (adj.) – Resembling a mountain in scale
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