Most of the mountain names are derived from Arabic as well as the Tedaga and Dazaga languages. The term ehi refers to peaks and rocky hills, emi to larger mountains, era to craters and tarso to high plateaus or gently sloping mountains. For example, the Ehi Mousgou is a stratovolcano near Tarso Voon; likewise, Era Kohor is a crater on top of Emi Koussi. The name Toussidé means that which killed the Tou, as in the Toubou, reflecting the danger of the still active volcano. The name of Bardaï, the principal town in the range, means cold in Chadian Arabic, because of its low nocturnal temperatures. In the Tedaga language, the town is known as Goumodi, which means red pass, signifying the color of the mountains at dusk.