[kawr-dl-yair-uh, -air-uh, kawr-dil-er-uh] 
| a chain of mountains, usually the principal mountain system or mountain axis of a large landmass. |
[kawr-dl-yair-uhz, -air-, kawr-dil-er-uhz; Sp. kawr-thee-ye-rahs for 1] | 1. | a mountain system in W South America: the Andes and its component ranges. |
| 2. | a mountain system in W North America, including the Sierra Nevada, Coast Range, Cascade Range, and Rocky Mountains. |
| 3. | the entire chain of mountain ranges parallel to the Pacific coast, extending from Cape Horn to Alaska. |
| cor·dil·le·ra (kôr'dl-yâr'ə, kôr-dĭl'ər-ə) n. An extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges, especially the principal mountain system of a continent. [Spanish, from cordilla, diminutive of cuerda, cord, from Latin chorda; see cord.] cor'dil·le'ran (-yâr'ən) adj. |
| cordillera (kôr'dl-yâr'ə) Pronunciation Key
A long and wide chain of mountains, especially the main mountain range of a large landmass. Cordilleras can include the valleys, basins, rivers, lakes, plains, and plateaus between parallel chains of a single mountain system, or they can consist solely of a string of connected mountain peaks. |
