Mount Baekdu
/ˌmaʊnt ˈpɛk.tuː/noun
A volcanic mountain on the China–North Korea border, also known in Chinese as Changbai Mountain.
Did you know?Baekdu Mountain’s summit lake, Heaven Lake, appears in Korean and Manchu cultural traditions as a sacred or cosmological birthplace, while the volcano itself remains historically active.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“To project or rise; the ancestral root traditionally connected with Latin mons, “mountain.””
Classical Latin
Latin
mōns
“Mountain or elevated landform.”
Old French
Old French
mont
“Mountain, hill, or height; the source of English mount.”
Middle English
English
mount
“A mountain, hill, or raised place; later also used as a verb meaning “to climb” or “to rise.””
Classical Chinese
Chinese
白頭山 (Báitóu Shān)
““White-Head Mountain,” the Chinese form corresponding to the mountain’s Korean name.”
Modern Korean
Korean
백두산 (Baekdusan)
““White-Head Mountain”: 백두 (baekdu), “white head,” plus 산 (san), “mountain.””
Modern English
English
Mount Baekdu
“The English geographical name for the volcanic mountain, combining English Mount with the Korean name Baekdu.”
Explore more surprising origins