inselberg
noun
Did you know?
Inselberg, which first appeared in English in 1913, comes from the German words Insel, meaning "island," and Berg, meaning "mountain," apparently because German explorers thought isolated mountains rising from the plains of southern Africa looked like islands in the midst of the ocean. Geologically speaking, an inselberg is a hill of hard volcanic rock that has resisted wind and weather and remained strong and tall as the land around it eroded away. Ayers Rock and Olga Rocks in central Australia are two spectacular examples of inselbergs. The word monadnock, derived from the name of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, is a synonym of "inselberg."
Example Sentences
Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, 26 June 2019 Since the 1950s, more than 30 people have died climbing the sandstone inselberg, which juts up 1,142 feet from the surrounding plains. Deutsche Welle, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2017 This inselberg of nearly vertical Precambrian strata is about 2.5 kilometers long and more than 350 meters high44. Brian Romans, WIRED, 14 Dec. 2008 Word History
German, from Insel island + Berg mountain
1913, in the meaning defined above
inselberg
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- cordillera
- seamount
- knob
- mountain
- sierra
- summit
- mountaintop
- mountain range
- pinnacle
- horn
- mount
- alp
- range
- aiguille
- peak
- hump
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- valley
- basin
- depression
- bowl
- hollow
- vale
- makers
- makers-up
- makerspace
- makerspaces
- makes
- makes a comeback
- makes a face
- makes a pretense
- makes a scene
- makes a show
- makes a world of difference
- makes amends
- makes amends (for)
- makes amends for
- makes away with
- makes believe
- makes common cause
- makes do
- makes ends meet
- makes eyes
- makes eyes (at)
- makes eyes at
- makes for
- makes fun of
- makes game of