Molehill
/ˈmoʊlˌhɪl/noun
A small hill or mound of earth raised by a mole digging underground.
Did you know?The word is a plain Old English compound, but the image is ancient and eerie: a molehill is literally the earth pushed up by an animal that spends its life in darkness underground.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
mold-hyll / mūl-hyll
“A hill or mound associated with moles or with earth raised by digging”
Middle English
ME
molehill
“A small mound of earth made by a mole”
Modern English
English
molehill
“A small heap or mound of earth raised by a mole”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mel-
“To grind, crush, or bruise; the root behind words for soft earth and milling”