hill
hill
Pronunciation
hɪl
/h/ - voiceless glottal fricative
/ɪ/ - near-high, near-front unrounded vowel
/l/ - alveolar lateral approximant
Word Form Variations
Singular noun: hill
Plural noun: hills
Verb (base form): hill
Verb (third-person singular present): hills
Verb (present participle): hilling
Verb (past tense/past participle): hilled
Adjective: hilly (describing something having many hills)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition: A natural elevation of the earth's surface that is lower than a mountain and often has a rounded or conical shape.
Synonyms: mound, knoll, rise, mount, elevation, hummock, ridge
Antonyms: valley, plain, flatland, depression, gorge
Definition: A small pile or heap of material, such as a pile of dirt or a small heap of potatoes or corn grown in a specific manner.
Synonyms: heap, pile, stack, accumulation, mound
Antonyms: hole, depression, trench
Verb
Definition: To form or draw earth around a plant, especially potatoes or corn, to protect the roots and stems or to facilitate growth; to form into a small mound or pile. (Often used as "to hill up").
Synonyms: mound, bank, earth up, ridge
Antonyms: level, flatten, dig out, trench
Examples of Use
Books:
"Bilbo Baggins was a very well-to-do hobbit, and lived in the best hobbit-hole in The Hill, and that hill was not only the oldest but the only hill within a radius of many miles." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit) - This classic fantasy novel uses "hill" extensively to describe the landscape and a central dwelling.
"We paused at the top of the hill, looking down at the sprawling city below, its lights twinkling like scattered diamonds." (From a contemporary romance novel) - This example shows "hill" used to set a scene and evoke a sense of vista.
Newspapers:
"Local residents gathered on the hill overlooking the town to protest the proposed factory expansion, citing environmental concerns." (The Daily Herald) - Here, "hill" is used as a specific geographical marker for a public gathering place.
"The cyclist, renowned for her endurance, powered up the final hill of the race, securing a decisive victory." (Sports Gazette) - This example demonstrates "hill" in a sports context, signifying a challenging incline.
Online Publications:
"From the gentle rolling hills of Tuscany to the rugged peaks of the Himalayas, each landscape offers a unique beauty." (Travel blog post, "Exploring the World's Most Beautiful Landscapes,") - This showcases "hills" in a descriptive, plural sense, often found in travel writing.
"Experts warn that the housing market faces an uphill battle, but remain hopeful that new policies will help it over the hill." (Financial news website, "Market Trends: The Road Ahead,") - This uses "hill" figuratively, representing a challenge or obstacle (uphill battle) and overcoming a difficult period ("over the hill").
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: In countless movies, characters might "climb a hill" to survey a scene, escape danger, or reach a destination. Think of the iconic "The Sound of Music" opening scene with Maria singing on a hill.
Music: "The Hill We Die On" (song title by a rock band) - This uses "hill" metaphorically, representing a crucial stand or principle worth fighting for.
Video Games: Many open-world video games feature "hills" as part of their terrain, often requiring players to navigate them to reach objectives or gain a tactical advantage. For example, in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link frequently scales hills to reach vantage points or discover hidden areas.
Television Series: "The show's protagonist lives in a quaint house nestled on a quiet hill overlooking the bay." (From a review of a new drama series) - Describes a setting.
Podcasts: "Our guest today shares his experience of growing up in the hills of Appalachia, offering unique insights into the region's culture." (From a cultural interview podcast) - Used to describe a geographical region.
General Public Discourse:
"Let's meet at the top of the hill by the park benches." (Spoken conversation between friends) - A common, everyday use to give directions or specify a meeting point.
"It's all downhill from here," or conversely, "It's an uphill battle." (Common idioms) - These widely used phrases demonstrate the metaphorical understanding of "hill" to represent ease or difficulty, respectively.
"He's over the hill now, but he used to be quite the athlete." (Casual conversation about an aging person) - An idiomatic expression for being past one's prime.
10 Famous Quotes Using Hill
Here are ten famous quotes that use the word "hill" or its plural form.
"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb." (Nelson Mandela)
"We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." (Winston Chu1rchill)
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
"No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other." (Frank Lloyd Wright)
"Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed." (Charles M. Schulz)
"All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called 'guess what was at the other side of the hill'." (Duke of of Wellington)
"To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first." (William Shakespeare)
"It's easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top." (Henry Ward Beecher)
"The higher the hill, the stronger the wind: so the loftier the life, the stronger the enemy's temptations." (John Wycliffe)
"Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills." (Mahatma Gandhi)
Etymology
The word "hill" has a long and interesting history, tracing its roots back thousands of years!
Imagine our ancient ancestors looking at the landscape around them. They needed a way to describe those bumps in the land that weren't quite mountains. That's where "hill" comes in.
The journey of "hill" goes something like this:
Proto-Indo-European ($\text{*kl̥Hnís}$ or *kelH-): This is the very old, reconstructed language that is thought to be the ancestor of many European and Indian languages. In this ancient tongue, there were words like $\text{*kl̥Hnís}$ or a root *kelH- that meant "top, hill, or rock," or "to be prominent." This tells us that the core idea of an elevated place has been around for a very long time.
Proto-Germanic (*hulliz): Moving forward, this ancient word evolved into *hulliz in Proto-Germanic. This was the ancestor of all Germanic languages, including English, German, and Dutch. At this stage, the meaning was still very much about an "elevated piece of land," or even "rock" or "stone."
Old English (hyll): When English started to form, the word became "hyll." This is the earliest known form of the word in English, appearing before the year 1150. At this time, "hyll" referred to a natural elevation of land, much like we understand "hill" today, though it could also refer to something as large as a mountain.
Over time, "hyll" became the "hill" we use today. So, the first known meaning of the word was essentially what it is now: a natural rise in the ground, smaller than a mountain. It's a word that has been incredibly consistent in its core meaning for a very long time, reflecting a fundamental aspect of the landscape.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Hill
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "hill":
Over the hill: Past one's prime; too old.
Up the hill: An uphill struggle/battle.
Downhill all the way / It's all downhill from here: Getting easier after a difficult start; deteriorating.
To die on that hill / To die on a small hill: To strongly defend a position or opinion, often an unimportant one.
To make a mountain out of a molehill: To exaggerate a minor problem.
To go over the top of the hill: To reach a significant milestone or turning point.
King of the hill: The dominant or most powerful person in a group or situation.
A hill to climb: A challenge or difficult task ahead.
To be beyond the hill: (Lesser-known) To have overcome a major obstacle.
The lay of the land/hill: The general situation or arrangement of things. (using "land" as a synonym for broader effect)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of hill from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
