English
montane
Montane comes from Latin montānus ‘of or pertaining to a mountain’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to stand out, to tower’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to stand out, to tower’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*móntisreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*montsreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōns‘mountain’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmontānus‘of or pertaining to a mountain’
- Englishearliest quotation 1863montane
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to stand out, to tower’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*móntisreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*montsreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōns‘mountain’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmontānus‘of or pertaining to a mountain’
- Englishearliest quotation 1863montane
Earliest quotation: 1863, John Gilbert Baker, On Some of the British Pansies, Agrestal and Montane: “This plant evidently occupies, like V. sabulosa and V.…”
The story
The adjective is derived from Latin montānus (‘of or pertaining to a mountain’). Synchronically, it can be seen to have the suffix English -ane (variant of -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives)). Montānus is derived from mōns (‘mount, mountain’) (from Proto-Indo-European *men- (‘to stand out, to tower’)) + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to stand out, to tower’
music, mind, money, remain, museum, comment, mouth, auto, min, mental, mention, mountain, monster, permanent, monitor, maya, demonstration, mentor, mint, muse, dementia, menace, ming, mas, amnesty, muster, monk, prominence, mosaic, monetary, monument, mandarin, monastery, imminent, mania, eminent, amnesia, summon, manic, monstrous, 121 more
through Proto-Italic *monts
through Latin mōns ‘mountain’
Today it means
adj Of, inhabiting, or growing in mountain areas; specifically, the cool, moist upland slopes below the timberline.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *men- / montane