Shivering Mountain
Preserved but no longer current.
Mam Tor, a hill on the Peak of Derbyshire; so called from the waste of its mass by "shivering" — that is, breaking away in "shivers' ' or small pieces. This has been going on for ages, as the hill consists of alter- nate layers of shale and gritstone.
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 “Shivering Mountain” mean?
Mam Tor, a hill on the Peak of Derbyshire; so called from the waste of its mass by "shivering" — that is, breaking away in "shivers' ' or small pieces. This has been going on for ages, as the hill consists of alter- nate layers of shale and gritstone.
Is “Shivering Mountain” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.