Adam's Peak
Preserved but no longer current.
A mountain in Ceylon where, according to Mohammedan legend, Adam bewailed his expulsion from Paradise, standing on one foot for 200 years to expiate his crime; then Gabriel took him to Mount Arafat, where he found Eye.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Adam's Peak” mean?
A mountain in Ceylon where, according to Mohammedan legend, Adam bewailed his expulsion from Paradise, standing on one foot for 200 years to expiate his crime; then Gabriel took him to Mount Arafat, where he found Eye.
Is “Adam's Peak” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.