# montane

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈmɒnteɪn/ · frequency rank #66,846

## Definitions
1. Of, inhabiting, or growing in mountain areas; specifically, the cool, moist upland slopes below the timberline.

## Etymology
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’).
The noun is probably derived from the adjective.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/montane