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cordillera

[kawr-dl-yair-uh, -air-uh, kawr-dil-er-uh] /ˌkɔr dlˈyɛər ə, -ˈɛər ə, kɔrˈdɪl ər ə/
noun
1.
a chain of mountains, usually the principal mountain system or mountain axis of a large landmass.
Origin of cordillera
Latin
1695-1705
1695-1705; < Spanish, derivative of cordilla, diminutive of cuerda string, mountain range (< Latin chorda); see cord
Related forms
cordilleran, adjective

Cordilleras

[kawr-dl-yair-uh z, -air-, kawr-dil-er-uh z; Spanish kawr-th ee-ye-rahs for 1] /ˌkɔr dlˈyɛər əz, -ˈɛər-, kɔrˈdɪl ər əz; Spanish ˌkɔr ðiˈyɛ rɑs 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
Cordilleran, adjective
trans-Cordilleran, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2016.
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Examples from the Web for cordilleran
Historical Examples

  • During the wet season the vicua browses on the scanty vegetation of the cordilleran ridges.

    The Desert World Arthur Mangin

  • Mexico, unlike other cordilleran countries, lends itself to travel in certain directions by means of roads and vehicles.

    Mexico Charles Reginald Enock

  • The Tapir Pinchaca appears to be confined to the region of the cordilleran table-lands.

    The Desert World Arthur Mangin
British Dictionary definitions for cordilleran

cordillera

/ˌkɔːdɪlˈjɛərə/
noun
1.
a series of parallel ranges of mountains, esp in the northwestern US
Derived Forms
cordilleran, adjective
Word Origin
C18: from Spanish, from cordilla, literally: a little cord, from cuerda mountain range, cord

Cordilleras

/ˌkɔːdɪlˈjɛərəz; Spanish korðiˈʎeras/
plural noun
1.
the Cordilleras, the complex of mountain ranges on the W side of the Americas, extending from Alaska to Cape Horn and including the Andes and the Rocky Mountains
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
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Word Origin and History for cordilleran

cordillera

n.

1704, from Spanish, "mountain chain," from cordilla, in Old Spanish "string, rope," diminutive of cuerda, from Latin chorda "cord, rope" (see cord).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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cordilleran in Science
cordillera
  (kôr'dl-yâr'ə)   
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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18
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