A oronyme , is a Greek neologism meaning “name of mountain”.

The oronymes, applied sometimes to simple heights, are very frequent in Toponymie. The majority of the cities, indeed, are built on heights or buttresses for defensive reasons or of simple protection against the floods.

The principal European oronymic roots are, in addition to the novel assembles , Germanic the berg , borg or Slavic the will gora :

• * (K) harr/*garr : Basque (K) harri “stone, rock” (Arles, Carcassonne, Garros, Queribus…)

• *barr/*vor : Lappish varre “mountain” (Bar, Berre, Voreppe…)
• biro : Basque phizi, bizi “sharp (acute)” (Besancon, Vésubie…)
• *bun/*mun : Basque munho “hill”, French bugne “bump” (Bunus, Munich…)
• dun/*tun : Gallic dunon “fortified town”, English town “city” (Verdun, Thonon…)
• *kalm “stripped height”: (Thatches, Montcalm)
• *kan : Basque profit < *khan “top”, “above” (Arcangues, Cannes…)
• *kukk : Albanian kokë “head”, Basque goi “high” (Cuq, Cucugnan, Cocumont…)
• badly : Albanian badly “mountain”, Tamoul malai “Hillock” (Bethmale, Maladeta)
• *pal-/balç : Oc balç “rock escarpment” (Pau, Mount Ball, Collar of the Straw…)
• *pend-/*mend- : Basque phendaiz , mendi , Spanish peña , Gascon pena “mount” (Warp end, Peñíscola, Chin, Manosque…)
• *seg/*set : (Sète, Sigonce, Sigüenza…)
• *tur : Gallic duron , Touron, Lasted…
• *tuk, *truk, *tsuk, *tjuk : Gascon tuc , trick “hillock”, French hole , stock … (Joch, Juice)
• *uc : (Uzès, Uzerche…)
• *went (Ventoux, Vence, Vignemale…)