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mound

 - 4 dictionary results

mound

1  [mound]
Use mound in a Sentence
–noun
1. a natural elevation of earth; a hillock or knoll.
2. an artificial elevation of earth, as for a defense work or a dam or barrier; an embankment.
3. a heap or raised mass: a mound of papers; a mound of hay.
4. Baseball. the slightly raised ground from which the pitcher delivers the ball. Compare rubber (def. 13).
5. an elevation formed of earth, sand, stones, etc., esp. over a grave or ruins.
6. a tumulus or other raised work of earth dating from a prehistoric or long-past period.
–verb (used with object)
7. to form into a mound; heap up.
8. to furnish with a mound of earth, as for a defense.
Origin:
1505–15; earlier: hedge or fence used as a boundary or protection, (v.) to enclose with a fence; cf. OE mund hand, hence protection, protector; c. ON mund, MD mond protection

mound

2  [mound]
–noun
a globe topped with a cross that symbolizes power and constitutes part of the regalia of an English sovereign.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME: world < OF monde < L mundus world
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To mound
mound   (mound)   
n.  

  1. A pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris heaped for protection or concealment.

  2. A natural elevation, such as a small hill.

  3. A raised mass, as of hay; a heap. See Synonyms at heap.

  4. Archaeology A large artificial pile of earth or stones often marking a burial site.

  5. Baseball The slightly elevated pitcher's area in the center of the diamond.

  6. Archaic A hedge or fence.

tr.v.   mound·ed, mound·ing, mounds

  1. To fortify or conceal with a mound.

  2. To heap into a raised mass.


[Origin unknown.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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