mendi
/mendi/
The Basque word for mountain is mendi.
mendi refers to a large mass of earth and rock.
Meaning: large mass of earth and rock (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun can change form to express different grammatical relationships. Adding the suffix -a results in mendia, which means 'the mountain'. To use the word as an adjective or to say 'of the mountain', add the suffix -ko to the stem to get mendiko.
How do you pronounce it?
/mendi/
Did you know?
- In Basque culture, the mendi is not just geography but often a spiritual center. Many ancient shrines and sanctuaries were built on peaks to be closer to the sky.
- Even though mendi sounds similar to the Latin-based word 'montagne' or 'mountain', it is completely unrelated and shares no common ancestor.
- The word mendi is often found in Basque surnames, such as Mendibil. In these cases, the word identifies the family's ancestral connection to a specific mountainous region.
Examples in context
- Ezin genuen mendiko tontorra ikusi.We could not see the top of the mountain.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the word mendi in context.Tatoeba #895073 by gorkaazk, translation #681523 by Source_VOA
- Esan nahi duzu mendia bisitatzen ari garen?Do you want to say that we are visiting the mountain?
- Datorren astean mendi batean mendizaleek topatuko dira.Next week, hikers will meet in a mountain.
- Mendi hori oso altua da.That mountain is very high.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maite and Xabi are looking at a map.
- MaiteHona hemen mendia dago.The mountain is right here.
- XabiOso altu hiten dirudi.It looks very high.
- MaiteBai, mendi zorrotxa bat da.Yes, it is a steep mountain.
- XabiBiharregoera igorraituko dugu.We will climb it tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mountain” translations and entries mendi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mendi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
