tramontane

1 of 2

noun

tra·​mon·​tane trə-ˈmän-ˌtān  ˌtra-mən-ˈtān 

: one dwelling in a tramontane region

broadly : foreigner

tramontane

2 of 2

adjective

1

: transalpine

2

: lying on or coming from the other side of a mountain range

Did you know?

The journey of "tramontane" into English starts in Latin and begins with the coming together of the prefix trans-, meaning "across" or "beyond," and montanus, meaning "of a mountain." When the word entered Italian, it did so as "tramontano" and referred to people or things on or from the other side of a mountain range - specifically, the Alps. "Tramontano" then traveled into English during the late 16th century as both the adjective "tramontane," with the same meaning as the Italian word, and as the noun tramontane, meaning "one dwelling in a tramontane region" or "a foreigner." During the 18th century, the adjective began carrying the meaning "barbarous," but that meaning is now rarely - if ever - used.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Italian tramontano, from Latin transmontanus, from trans- + mont-, mons mountain — more at mount

First Known Use

Noun

1593, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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