Word Origin & History
mound
1515, as a verb, "to fence in;" the noun is 1551, and originally meant "fence, hedge," now only dial. in that sense; commonly supposed to be from O.E. mund "hand, protection, guardianship" (cognate with L. manus), but this is not certain. Perhaps a confusion of the native word and M.Du. mond "protection," used in military sense for fortifications of various types, including earthworks, and infl. by mount (n.). Sense of "artificial elevation" (especially over a grave) is from 1726.