mount
To make a {file system} available for access.
{Unix} does this by associating the file system with a
{directory} (the "mount point") within a currently mounted
file system. The "root" file system is mounted on the {root
directory}, "/" early in the {boot} sequence. "mount" is also
the {Unix} command to do this, "unmount" breaks the
association.
E.g., "mount attaches a named file system to the file system
hierarchy at the pathname location directory [...]" -- {Unix
manual page} mount(8).
File systems are usually mounted either at {boot time} under
control of {/etc/rc} (or one of its subfiles) or on demand by
an {automounter} {daemon}.
Other {operating systems} such as {VMS} and {DOS} mount file
systems as separate directory hierarchies without any common
ancestor or root directory.
Apparently derived from the physical sense of "mount" meaning
"attach", as in "head-mounted display", or "set up", as in
"always mount a {scratch monkey}, etc."
{Unix manual page}: mount(8).
(1997-04-14)