Montagne
/mɔ̃.taɲ/noun
A French word meaning “mountain,” also used in English in certain names, historical terms, and specialized contexts.
Did you know?During the French Revolution, La Montagne—the Mountain—was the radical political faction whose members occupied the highest benches in the National Convention.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“To project, rise, or stand out; a proposed ancestral root associated with elevated forms.”
Classical Latin
Latin
mōns, montis
“A mountain or elevated mass of land.”
Late Latin
Latin
montānea
“Mountainous land or a mountain region; the source of the Romance form.”
Old French
Old French
montaigne
“A mountain; a mountainous place.”
Middle English
English
mountaine
“A mountain, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French, later standardized as “mountain.””
16th Century
French
montagne
“The modern French form meaning “mountain.””
18th Century
French
La Montagne
““The Mountain,” the radical faction of the French Revolutionary National Convention.”