The word "mountain" comes from the Old French word "montaine," which itself derives from the Latin word "montana," the feminine form of "montanus," meaning "of a mountain." "Montanus" is related to "mons," the Latin word for "mountain." This Latin root is connected to the Proto-Indo-European root *men-, meaning "to project" or "to stand out," which is also the source of words related to prominence or projection. The transition from Latin to Old French and then into Middle English reflects the influence of the Norman Conquest on the English language, after which many French words were adopted into English.