Hilltop

How to spell hilltop

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce hilltop

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does hilltop mean?

1. nounThe highest part or summit of a hill.

Hilltop in a sentence

• The old chapel sits on the hilltop overlooking the valley.

• We parked the car and walked the last stretch up to the hilltop.

Where does hilltop come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent English compound formed from two very old native words. 'Hill' descends from the Old English 'hyll', meaning a natural elevation of the land, which traces back to a Germanic root shared with words for swelling or rising ground. 'Top' comes from the Old English 'topp', meaning the highest point or summit of something, also of Germanic origin. The two have been joined together since at least the early modern period to name the crown or summit of a hill. Because both halves are familiar everyday words, the spelling holds no surprises beyond remembering the doubled 'l' where 'hill' meets 'top'.

How the word is built

• hill (a raised area of land)
• top (the highest part)