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mound

(mound)

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 group of things collected in a mass or heap: found his keys in a mound of laundry. See Synonyms at heap.

4. often mounds A great deal; a lot: has mounds of homework to finish.

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

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

7. Archaic A hedge or fence.

tr.v. mound·ed, mound·ing, mounds

To heap into a raised mass: mounded the dirt around the plants.

[Origin unknown.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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