Aonach

Aonach is a Scottish Gaelic toponym used in the Highlands of Scotland to denote a mountain ridge or crest. The word is commonly found in the names of hills and ridges and is encountered in both descriptive and historical contexts. In Gaelic, aonach can refer to a ridge or long crest, though the term is also associated with older senses connected with gatherings or fairs in some form of place-name literature.

Notable uses include Aonach Eagach, a long, exposed ridgeline in Glen Coe widely regarded as one of Scotland's classic scrambles, running along the main ridge between the northern and southern valleys. Nearby, the peaks Aonach Beag and Aonach Mor — meaning “Little Ridge” and “Big Ridge” respectively — lie close to Fort William and form a pair of summits often climbed together from the surrounding glens.

These names reflect the common Gaelic practice of using aonach as a geographic descriptor in mountain nomenclature across the Scottish Highlands; other ridges and peaks with the element appear throughout the region.