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CORDILLERAN

 - 4 dictionary results

cor⋅dil⋅le⋅ra

  [kawr-dl-yair-uh, -air-uh, kawr-dil-er-uh]
Use CORDILLERAN in a Sentence
–noun
a chain of mountains, usually the principal mountain system or mountain axis of a large landmass.
Origin:
1695–1705; < Sp, deriv. of cordilla, dim. of cuerda string, mountain range (< L chorda); see cord

Related forms:
cor⋅dil⋅le⋅ran, adjective

Cor⋅dil⋅le⋅ras

  [kawr-dl-yair-uhz, -air-, kawr-dil-er-uhz; Sp. kawr-thee-ye-rahs for 1]
–noun
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.
Related forms:
Cor⋅dil⋅le⋅ran, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To CORDILLERAN
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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cordillera 
1704, from Sp., "mountain chain," from cordilla, in O.Sp. "string, rope," dim. of cuerda, from L. chorda "cord, rope" (see cord).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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