Mountain vs Hill
Mountain and Hill are two words in the English language that are often used as interchangeable words. They are not so. There is of course a thin line of difference between the two words.
A hill is a small and a natural elevation of the earth’s surface. On the other hand a mountain is a very large and natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising more or less abruptly to the summit. This is the main difference between mountain and hill.
A mountain usually attains an altitude greater than that of a hill. Sometimes it attains an altitude of about 2000 feet. On the other hand a hill does not attain such a high altitude. It attains a normal height, usually not more than one-fourths of the height of a mountain.
This is the reason why expressions such as ‘ant hill’ are used. A hill is an artificial heap or mound of some kind of substance. It is a natural heap or mound of earth raised about a cultivated plant or a group of such plants. Observe the expression ‘a hill of potatoes’.
On the other hand a large mass of something resembling the high and natural elevation of earth’s surface is also called a mountain. Observe the expression, ‘a mountain of accumulated mail’.
Sometimes the word ‘mountain’ is used as an adjective as in the expression, ‘mountain wind’. Similarly the expression ‘mountain people’ gives the meaning of people living in mountainous regions.
A mountain is usually characterized by the presence of a summit. On the other hand a hill is not characterized by the presence of a summit. This is one of the main differences between a mountain and a hill. Some of the expressions wherein the word mountain is used as an adjective include ‘mountain of files’, ‘mountaintop’ and the like.
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