alpin

Alpin is an adjective and linguistic stem used to denote relation to the Alps or to high mountain regions. It is derived from the Latin Alpes, via Old French Alpes, and is cognate with the English Alpine. In English, alpin is rarely used outside technical or historical contexts; Alpine is the standard form.

In several European languages, alpin functions as a normal adjective describing things associated with the Alps or high mountains. In French, phrases such as pays alpin or géographie alpine are common in travel writing and scientific discourse. In German, alpin similarly means Alpine or high-m mountain-related; it appears in geographic, climatic, botanical, and mountaineering contexts. The root also appears in related terms in some languages, such as alpinism for the activity of climbing in the Alps, and in compound forms describing Alpine flora and fauna.

The word serves as a cross-language stem for terms that denote Alpine characteristics. When used in multilingual texts, the root alpin signals a link to the Alps, even if the exact spelling or form follows the natural rules of the local language (for example, Alpine vs. alpin- compounds).

See also: Alpine, Alps, Alpinism, Alpine flora and fauna, Alpine climate.