Hill
/hɪl/noun
A naturally raised area of land, smaller than a mountain.
Did you know?English hill comes from a very old Germanic word, and its deep root is linked to the idea of a raised place or summit—language preserving the way early people mapped sacred high ground.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to rise, be high, or project upward”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hullaz
“hill, elevated ground”
Old English
OE
hyll
“hill, mound, elevated land”
Middle English
ME
hill
“hill, rising ground”
Modern English
English
hill
“a natural elevation of land smaller than a mountain”