A hillock is a small hill, usually gentle and rounded rather than steep and dramatic. Picture the difference between a mountain like Mount Everest and a grassy bump you could easily run up and down: that smaller rise is a hillock.

Hillocks appear naturally in fields, parks, and countryside landscapes. They might form over time from deposits of soil and rock, or from the way water and wind shape the land. Sometimes a hillock is just high enough to give you a better view of your surroundings, making it a perfect spot to sit and watch the sunset or survey the landscape.

The word sounds old-fashioned, and that's because it is: people have been calling small hills “hillocks” for hundreds of years. You'll often encounter it in classic books or poetry describing countryside scenes. Today, most people simply say “small hill,” but hillock carries a gentler, more charming feeling. When you're hiking and someone points out a hillock, they're usually describing something pleasant and climbable rather than a challenging obstacle: just a modest rise in the landscape that adds character to the view.