Just as 'Cameron' indicates that the PM's ancestors had crooked noses, 'Ben' indicates a large, bulky mountain.
Peter Drummond, author of 'Scottish Hill Names', takes us on a tour of Great Britain, teaching us how to read more into hill names.
"Unlike humans, hills don't move around, and so names like 'big hill', given by the locals in one part, never need to meet their namesakes in other glens, and be confused with them. Gaelic is unique within Britain, and perhaps in Europe, for the sheer number of words it possesses for hills of differing shapes and sizes. There's only one Lady Gaga, and only one Ben Nevis: but most hills, and most of us, have to share the world with our namesakes..."
Read more at http://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=3381