THE NAMES OF THE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS OF THE WORLD

 

This list does not include patronymic names like Mt. Hood, McKinley, Everest etc.

 

Aconcagua, 6959 m. Highest summit of the Andes. From Araucan konka "something convex": mountain, Araucan konka "straw stack". The root konk "convex" or sometimes "concave" is also widespread in the Indo-European languages.

Allegheny. A mountain range in the Eastern United States. From the Delaware Amerind alleghany "mountain without end".

Alps. A European mountain range, culminating with the Mont Blanc, 4810 m. A name meaning "height" (Pokorny, Zeitschrift für Keltische Philologie 38: 313) as in the following terms:

 

Welsh	allt (also ailp)	height, mountain
Welsh	alt	slope
Spanish	alto	high (see note below)
French (Aoste)	aat	high
French	haut	high

With change t>p:

Gaelic Scot.	alp	high mountain
Welsh	ailp	height, mountain
French	Alpes	the Alps
Catalan	Alp (Puig d')	name of a mountain
Corsica	elpa	steep rock face
Galicia	alpe	sierra

With change p>b:

Gaelic Ireland	Alba	Scotland
Welsh	Alban	Scotland: Highland
Gaelic Scotland and Ireland	Albanach	inhabitant of the Highlands
Ancient Greek	Albanoi	an Illyrian tribe
German	Alb	a mountain name

With change l>r:

Albanian

Arbën, Arbëror

Albanian

etc.

Altai. A range in Central Asia, culminating at 4374 m with the Yuyi Feng. From Kirghiz altyn "gold" or altaïn-uka "golden mountain", from its golden yellow color when lit by the sun.

Altyn Tagh. A range in Central Asia. Same meaning as the preceding name (Altai); tagh = mountain.

Andes. The longest range in the world, in South America. From Quechua Amerind andi "high summit" (not from anta "copper").

Annapurna, 8091 m. One of the highest summits of the Himalaya. From Nepali Annapūrnā, a goddess providing abundant food; from anna "food" and pūrnā "full". No explanation is known to me.

Aorangi, 3764 m. The Maori name for Mt. Cook, highest mountain in New Zealand. In the Maori language the name means "the cloud-piercer" or, according to a another source simply "the mountain".

Apo (Mount), 2954 m. The highest summit in the Philippines.

Ararat, 5137 m. A mountain in eastern Turkey. Name given by the Hebrew and Greek to the mountain called Masis by the Armenians. The Assyrian name was Urartu, whence the name of this historical region. No satisfactory etymology has been found for Ararat. In Zend Haraiti was the summit of the Celestial Mountain. In Kurdish Agirī, in Turkish Ağri Daği,  in Aramaic qardū and in Ancient Syriac qordū.

Aso (Mount), 1592 m. A volcano in Japan. From a widespread root –s "fire":

Sanskrit	išira	fire
Turkish	isik	heat, fire
Vogul	isim	hot
Japan	Mount Aso	a volcano
Japan	ise	a divinity
Hindi	isa	a goddess
Basque	su	fire
Akkadian	isu, iâtu	fire
Assyrian	išu	god of fire
Sumerian	izi	fire
Old Norse	ysja	fire

 

Atlas Mountains. A range in Morocco, culminating at 4185 m with the Djebel Toubkal.

It is suggested here that Atlas is a metathesis for Altas (montañas), an Ibero-Romance name for this high Moroccan mountain range (I contend that Romances languages existed before Latin). The Greeks gave this name a Greek etymology, from tlaō "to bear", whence the birth of the legend of Hercules carrying the sky. The Berber name is Jebel Deren.

Asturias. A mountain range in northwestern Spain. A name meaning "axial mountains", from a root ast- cognate to axle:

 

German	äste	branch
Dutch	neste	branch (/n/ prosthetic)
Latin	hastile	branch
Latin	hasta	stem, staff, javelin
Italian	asta	stem, handle, lance, staff
Spanish	asta	horns (of the bull)
Spanish	Asturias	a mountain range
Italian	Cima d'Asta	name of a mountain in the Trentino
Albanian	asht	bone: bony axle
Ancient Greek	ostêon	bone
Ancient Greek	astragálos	neck vertebrae; a convex moulding

With change t>p:

Spanish	aspa	wings of a windmill
Spanish	Monte-de-Aspa	the Pyrenees
Italian	Cima de l'Aspre	name of a mountain (cf. Cima d'Asta, above)
Romantsch	aspa	poplar (a straight axle-like tree)
German	espe	poplar
English	aspen	poplar (now restricted to the species Populus tremula

etc.

 

Cantabrica (Cordillera). Mountain range in the Asturias mountains, culminating at 2648 m. From a root cant- convex :

 

French	canton	an administrative division
French: Valais	tsanton	small hill
Ital.: Grigioni	cantón	angle
Ital.: Ticino	cantogne	angle
French: Valais	Catogne	a mountain
French	Cantal	a mountainous region
Spanish	Cantabrica	a mountainous region
English	cantilever	a projecting bracket
English	cant	slope
Ital.: Grigioni	cantée	slope of a roof
French	chante (merle etc.)	hill (in oronymic compounds)

 

Carpathian Mountains. A mountain range in Romania. From Albanian karpë, krep "rock". The word crapa "rock" also occurs in northern Italy.

Caucasus. A mountain range between the Black Sea and the Caspian, culminating with the Elbruz.  From a widespread root meaning "something convex, hill, crest, head" etc.:

 

Pelasgic	kauk	mountain
Ancient Greek	Kaukasis	the Caucasus
Albanian	kokë	head

 

Cervin, Italian Cervino, 4478 m. The original name for the Matterhorn, famous Swiss mountain. From a root k-r meaning "summit, crest, tuft, antlers":

 

Ancient Greek	koryphê	summit
Galician	carapucho	tuft
Breton	karv	red deer
Italian	cervo	red deer
Italian	Cervino	French Cervin, German Matterhorn, an impressive, pointed mountain

 

Chimborazo, 6272 m. A volcano, the highest in Ecuador. From Quechua rasu "snow"; Chimbo is said to be the name of a tribe.

Chomolhari, 7315 m. One of the high peaks of the Himalaya. "The lady of the mountain of the gods".

Citlaltepetl (Pico de Orizaba), 5656 m. A volcano in México. A Nahuatl name meaning "star mountain".

Cook (Mount). See Aorangi.

Cotopaxi, 5897 m. A volcano in Ecuador. From Aymara coto "peak" or "head" and paxi "brillant" (and also "moon"); apparently a pre-Quechua name.

Damavand, Demavend, 5610 m. A volcano and highest summit in northern Iran. In Persian Damāvand, Sanskrit Himāvant "snowy mountain". The city's name of Damavand appears to derive from the mountain.

Denali, 6194 m. The Indian name for Mt. McKinley, Alaska, the highest mountain in North America. Meaning: Home of the Sun. Its summit is lit by the sun long after the lowlands are plunged in twilight.

Dhaulagiri, 8167 m. A summit in the Himalaya. In Nepali Dhavalagiri, Hindi Dhaulagiri; in Sanscrit dhavala means "white" and in Hindi giri means "mountain.

Elbruz, 5642 m. The highest summit of the Caucasus Mountains. See Elburz.

Elburz, 5670 m. A high mountain range in northern Iran. From a root bor- meaning "convex, swollen, protruding" :

 

Gaelic	borr	swollen
Gaelic	boirich	protuberance
Basque	bor	something rounded
Russian	burun	nose
Romanian	buric	navel
German	brust	breast
Persian	burz	nose
Persian	Elburz	a high mountain range in northern Iran
Caucasus	Elbruz	the highest summit of the Caucasus

 

Elgon (Mount), 4321 m. A summit in East Africa. The mountain is named after the Elgonyi tribe, who once lived in huge caves on the south side of the mountain. It was known as Ol Doinyo Ilgoon (Breast Mountain) by the Maasai and as Masawa on the Ugandan side (Wikipedia).

Erebus, 3794 m. The highest mountain of the Antarctic continent. Named after the Erebus, the ship of the James Ross expedition. Erebus is borrowed from the Greek mythology.

Etna, 3345 m. A famous volcano in Sicily. In ancient Greek the name was Aitnê, from aithein "to shine". See Monte Belle.

Everest (Mount). See Qomolangma and Sagarmatha.

Fuji Yama, 3776 m. A volcano, the highest mountain of Japan. The name is pre-Japanese and means "fire mountain", from Ainu fuji "fire". In Japanese the name is Fujisan; Yama means mountain but the Japanese use the word unaccompanied.

Haleakala, 3055 m. The high Hawaiian volcano. "Home of the sun" in Hawaiian.

Hsifan. A high summit in China. "Barbars of the West".

Himalaya. Mountain range south of the Tibetan Plateau, comprising the highest summits in the world. In Sanscrit Himalayah, from himah "snow" and alayah "abode".

Ixtaccihuatl, 5196 m. A volcano in México. From Nahuatl iztac "white" and ciuatl "woman".

Jebel Deren. The berber name for the Atlas Mountains. From Berber adrar, adaren "mountain" a name related to Welsh adarc "horn". Jebel means "mountain".

Kanchenjunga, 8598 m. One of the highest peaks of the Himalaya. "The great glacier of the five treasures", such appears to be the translation of the name.

Karakorum. A high range of the western Himalaya, culminating at 8475 m with the Ch'aio Ko li Feng (Mount Godwin Austen). "Black mountains". (Kara = black; for the root kor- see Cervin).

Katahdin, 1606 m. Highest mountain in Maine, USA. An Indian name meaning "greatest mountain)".

Kenya (Mount), 5199 m. From the Kīkūyū language Kere-Nyaga "Mountain of Whiteness".

Kilimanjaro, 5895 m. A volcano in eastern Africa. From Kilima mountain, and njaro cold.

Kinabalu, 4036 m. The highest summit of Borneo."Revered place of the gods".

Kun Lun Shan. Mountain range north of the Tibetan Plateau, culminating at 7282 m with the Muztag.

Matterhorn. 4478 m. The German name for Cervin. Literally "peak of the meadows", from German horn "peak" and matt "meadow". This impressive summit rising above extensive pastures is a characteristic feature of the region. Zermatt, the resort at the foot of the Matterhorn, means "to the meadows". See Cervin.

Mauna Kea, 4208 m. Hawaiian volcano. Means "white mountain" in Hawaiian

Mauna Loa, 4710 m. Hawaiian volcano. "Tall mountain".

McKinley (Mount). See Denali.

Minya Konka, 7556 m. Tibetan name for the highest mountain of central China. "White mountain" or "snow peak". The Chinese name is A'nyêmaqên Shan in which A'nyê means "old man" (i.e. white) and chen "great"; also Gongga Shan.

Monte Belle. Another name for the Etna. Montebelle is the Italianized form of Muncibbeddu the northern Sicilian name, which is a juxtaposition of the Romance Monte and the Arabic gebel which also means "mountain".

Mont Blanc, 4810 m. The highest European mountain. In the Vallée d'Aoste, it is called Mont Tout-Blanc. The meaning is crystal clear in itself. However some recent linguist managed to see in blanc the Breton "blain" mountain !

Mulhacén, 3482 m. The highest mountain in the Sierra Nevada. From a root mul- convex :

Namangkawi, 4950 m. New Guinea's highest mountain. The native name for Mount Carstenz; means "white arrow"; the name also designates the inflorescence of the reed that the natives use for making arrows.

Nanga Parbat, 8126 m. One of the highest peaks of the Himalaya. "Naked mountain".

Olympus, 2917 m. The highest mountain in Greece. In Greek Olympos. From an Indo-European root lamp "shining", Greek lampê "light", lampros "shining". Its modern Greek name is Lacha, also from a root lach "shining", as in Welsh llachar "shining", Albanian lehtë "light".

Pamirs. High ranges in central Asia, culminating at 7729 m with the Kongur Shan. In the Tajik language Pamir means "roof of the world".

Pennine mountains. A range in Italy. From the Celtic (Welsh) pen "head, summit".

Popocatepetl, 5452 m. A volcano, the highest summit of México. From Nahuatl popokani "to smoke" and tepetl "mountain".

Pyrenees. A mountain range between France and Spain, culminating at 3408 m with the Mount Aneto in the Montes Malditos (the Cursed Moutains).Ancient Greek Pyrênê, Spanish Pireneos, French Pyrénées. From a root meaning "pointed", to which belong the following terms:

 

Ancient Greek	pyrên	pip
Ancient Greek	pyramis	pyramid
Romanian	pirten	spur
English	spur	a pointed object
Welsh	pyr	fir (pyramidal form)
English	spear	a pointed weapon

etc. The mountain was named by the Greeks. The name cannot derive from pyrrhos "fire", the derivative of which take a double rrh as against pyr "pointed". "Fire" or even "red" are by no means a characteristic of the Pyrenees while "pointed" is. The original Spanish name was Montes de Aspa (see Asturias). In the department of Basses-Pyrénées this mountain is called Bortou. The Basque name of the Pyrenees is Aunamendi, from maun "high" and mendi "mountain".

Qomolangma (Chomolungma) 8848 m. The Tibetan name for the Everest, highest mountain in the world. From Tibetan qo "the highest" + suffixe -mo; lang "elephant" (symbol of the world) and ma "mother"; thus: Mother goddess of the Earth. See also Sagarmatha.

Ruwenzori, 5119 m. High mountains in eastern Africa."cloud king" or "rain maker".

Sagarmatha. Nepali name for the Everest. "Forehead in the sky". See Qomolangma.

Sierra Nevada. Mountain range in southern Spain, culminating with the Mulhacén, 3482 m "The Snow-covered Sierra".

Shasta (Mount), 4317 m. The highest mountain of the "lower" United States.

Tien Shan. A range in Central Asia, culminating at 7439 m with the Pik Pobedy. "Celestial mountains".

Ural Mountains. A long range in Russia. In the Vogul language urala means "mountain top".

Vesuvius, 1277 m. An Italian volcano near Naples. In Italian Vesuvio. From a root meaning pointed, cone-shaped :

 

Italian	Monte-Viso	a mountain the shape of a pointed cone in the southern Alps
Italian	Vesuvio	a cone-shaped volcano
Swiss Alps	Veisivi	names of two pointed peaks
Slovak	vezhovka	bell-tower
Modern Greek	vytzi	udder, tits
Ukrainian	vistrja	point
French	visière	the pointed part of the armour protecting the face; the pointed front part of a cap

 

Yosemite. A range in California. From u-zu-ma-ti "grizzly bear", the name of an Indian tribe.

Yü Shan, 3997 m. The highest mountain of Taiwan. Meaning: "white mountain".