sierra
[ see-er-uh ]
/ siˈɛr ə /
noun
a chain of hills or mountains, the peaks of which suggest the teeth of a saw.
any of several Spanish mackerels of the genus Scomberomorus, especially S. sierra, found in western North America.
a word used in communications to represent the letter S.
QUIZZES
FOR POSTERITY’S SAKE, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!
Are words your bailiwick? Take the latest quiz on the words from July 6 to July 12 to find out.
Question 1 of 7
bailiwick
Origin of sierra
1590–1600; < Spanish: literally, saw < Latin serra
Words nearby sierra
sienese, sienkiewicz, sienna, siepi, sierozem, sierra, sierra blanca peak, sierra leone, sierra leonean, sierra lily, sierra madre
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for sierra
British Dictionary definitions for sierra (1 of 2)
sierra
/ (sɪˈɛərə) /
noun
a range of mountains with jagged peaks, esp in Spain or America
Derived forms of sierra
sierran, adjectiveWord Origin for sierra
C17: from Spanish, literally: saw, from Latin serra; see serrate
British Dictionary definitions for sierra (2 of 2)
Sierra
/ (sɪˈɛərə) /
noun
communications a code word for the letter s
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
Scientific definitions for sierra
sierra
[ sē-ĕr′ə ]
A high, rugged range of mountains having an irregular outline somewhat like the teeth of a saw.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.