cuesta

American

[kwes-tuh] / ˈkwɛs tə /

noun

a long, low ridge with a relatively steep face or escarpment on one side and a long, gentle slope on the other.

cuesta British

/ ˈkwɛstə /

noun

a long low ridge with a steep scarp slope and a gentle back slope, formed by the differential erosion of strata of differing hardness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cuesta Scientific

/ kwĕs′tə /

A ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a cliff or escarpment on the other. The gentler slope is formed by the differential erosion of underlying rock, and the cliff consists of an outcrop of harder, more resistant rock.

Etymology

Origin of cuesta

1810–20, < Spanish: shoulder, sloping land < Latin costa side (of a hill), rib; see coast

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

CUESTA, a name of Spanish origin used in New Mexico for low ridges of steep descent on one side and gentle slope on the other.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023