Definitions of the word "mount"

v., mount·ed, mount·ing, mounts.

v.tr.
1. To climb or ascend: mount stairs.
2. To place oneself upon; get up on: mount a horse; mount a platform.
3. To climb onto (a female) for copulation. Used of male animals.

4. To furnish with a horse for riding.
5. To set on a horse: mount the saddle.
6. To set in a raised position: mount a bed on blocks.

7. To fix securely to a support: mount an engine in a car.
8. To place or fix on or in the appropriate support or setting for display or study: mount stamps in an album; mount cells on a slide.
9. To provide with scenery, costumes, and other equipment necessary for production: mount a play.
10. To organize and equip: mount an army.
11. To prepare and set in motion: mount an attack.

12. To set in position for use: mount guns.
13.To carry as equipment: The warship mounted ten guns.
14. To post (a guard).

v.intr.
1. To go upward; rise.
2. To get up on something, as a horse or bicycle.
3. To increase in amount, extent, or intensity: Costs are mounting up. Fear quickly mounted.

n.
1. The act or manner of mounting.
2. A means of conveyance, such as a horse, on which to ride.
3. An opportunity to ride a horse in a race.
4. An object to which another is affixed or on which another is placed for accessibility, display, or use, especially:
5. A glass slide for use with a microscope.
6. A hinge used to fasten stamps in an album.
7. A setting for a jewel.
8. An undercarriage or stand on which a device rests while in service.

n.
1. (Abbr. Mt.) A mountain or hill. Used especially as part of a proper name.
2. Any of the seven fleshy cushions around the edges of the palm of the hand in palmistry.

With all these definitions it is impossible to know which definition a person has in their lexicon.

Forgot to cite my source. Sorry if this is not a proper citation.

Answers.Com.(n.d). Retrieved February 3, 2006 from http://www.answers.com/topic/mount

all of this reminds me of "this one time at band camp..."

Lol!! Some of the things that come up in this forum...I`ll tell ya!

"I`d suggest mounting the instruments"

Gee...why on earth do you think we took it in that way? Just admit that is exactly what you meant and are now trying to cover your tracks because you are too embarrassed. These type of childish comments are not going to get you a lot of friends.

Reenie: You`re an idiot.

Re: "With all these definitions it is impossible to know which definition a person has in their lexicon"

Again: All these definitions are clearly related, and the context tells you which is meant. If the context doesn`t make sense with a particular one of them, that`s a big clue it`s the wrong one. "Mount" is hardly unique in having multiple senses. If it were "impossible" to tell which of any English words with multiple senses is intended from context, communication in English would also be impossible.

Ok, maybe it`s different depending on which part of the world you`re from, but in my opinion only someone dirty-minded would`ve taken the original comments about oscillating and mounting in an offensive/`gross` way, but I can see how it might be misinterpreted. It`s a silly argument really.

I`m a gearhead, so I understood exactly what what Scotch was getting at, and thought it was pretty funny. I know I had to take an acoustics class the short time I was a music undergrad, I imagine it`s still a requirement.

FWIW, "mount" doen`t only mean sex in America. I didn`t take it that way until everyone else had their panties in a twist.

"Again: All these definitions are clearly related, and the context tells you which is meant. If the context doesn`t make sense with a particular one of them, that`s a big clue it`s the wrong one. "Mount" is hardly unique in having multiple senses. If it were "impossible" to tell which of any English words with multiple senses is intended from context, communication in English would also be impossible."

Well if people were confused about what you ment by "mount" then I`d say that either: you did not give enough contextual clues in your post for the reader to infer the meaning that you intended,the reader does not know how to infer the meaning of words, or the reader did not stop and do comprehension check while he/she was reading to figure out just what definition you intended.

"If you`re going to try to OSCILLATE, I`d suggest mounting the instruments. I wonder what the composite waveform would look like."

I`ll provide the contextual clues for inferring:

"If you`re going to try to OSCILLATE, I`d suggest mounting the instruments by fixing them securely to a support. I wonder what the composite waveform would look like."

"If it were "impossible" to tell which of any English words with multiple senses is intended from context, communication in English would also be impossible."

That is not what I ment. What I said was you can`t see or know which definition of a word is actually gone to pop into the mind of your audience, even if you think you have provided them with enough contextul clues to figure it out. Most of the time your audience will be able to decipher which meaning you`re trying to convey, but if I am not mistaken miscommunication in English happens quite often. The whole confusion about "mounting instruments" is a prime example. You`re intended meaning was to put the instruments on a stand, while your audience may have been picturing a national geographic special about a clarinet doing a mating dance and then procreating with the flute.

Sorry for going off on a tangent

Scotch is just doing this for attention, he it the real idiot here.