Cordilleras

American  

[kawr-dl-yair-uhz, -air-, kawr-dil-er-uhz, kawr-thee-ye-rahs] / ˌkɔr dlˈyɛər əz, -ˈɛər-, kɔrˈdɪl ər əz, ˌkɔr ðiˈyɛ rɑs /

noun

1. a mountain system in western South America: the Andes and its component ranges.

2. a mountain system in western 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.

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Cordilleras British  

/ korðiˈʎeras, ˌkɔːdɪlˈjɛərəz /

plural noun

1. 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

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Other Word Forms

• Cordilleran adjective
• trans-Cordilleran adjective

Etymology

Origin of Cordilleras

First recorded in 1700–10, in reference to the Andes; cordillera ( def. )

Example Sentences

In the valleys between Colombia’s triplicate Cordilleras, you could sip coffee among green hills in the department of Quindío and salsa dance in the lowland city of Cali.

From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2022

In Peru's Rio Santa, which drains the Cordilleras Blanca mountain range, glacier contribution appears to be between 10 and 20 percent.

From Scientific American • Oct. 24, 2011

The three Cuban planes, commanded by First Lieutenant Antonio Menendez Pelaez, transatlantic Naval ace, wanting to reach the coast before turning north, started to cross the Cordilleras to the west.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week from the rocky Cordilleras came the details of 49-year-old Captain Hammer's last flight.

From Time Magazine Archive

Taken together, the Cordilleras and the altiplano make up the Andes, the second-biggest chain of mountains in the world.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann