A small pile of earth pushed up by a mole burrowing underground; used in the phrase 'making a mountain out of a molehill' meaning exaggerating a small problem.
Compound of 'mole' (the animal, from Old English 'molle' of unknown origin) and 'hill' (Old English 'hyll'). The term has been used since at least the 16th century.
Molehills are so common and worthless that the expression 'mountain out of a molehill' has been used for centuries—the tiny pile of dirt becomes the perfect metaphor for something insignificant blown out of proportion.
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