sierra

[ see-er-uh ]

/ siˈɛr ə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sierra ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

sienkiewicz, sienkiewicz, henryk, sienna, siepi, sierozem, sierra, sierra blanca peak, sierra leone, sierra leonean, sierra lily, sierra madre

Origin of sierra

1590–1600; < Spanish: literally, saw < Latin serra

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sierra

Father José Julián was shot and wounded driving in a car through the sierra of Ajuchitán.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
People on the streets of Havana cheered and celebrated the return of fighters from the Sierra Maestra.
Cuba Is A Kleptocracy, Not Communist|Romina Ruiz-Goiriena|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Chernon Bah, co-founder of A World at School, was alarmed by what she witnessed recently in Sierra Leone.
The Radio Battle to Educate Ebola’s Kids|Abby Haglage|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Liberia, the number is just over 54 percent—Sierra Leone, 67 percent.
The Radio Battle to Educate Ebola’s Kids|Abby Haglage|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And now, Sierra Leoneans will face jail time if caught burying Ebola victims.
Jail Threats for Sierra Leone Ebola Victims’ Families|Abby Haglage|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They followed us, but we dispersed, and soon were free from their pursuit; then we reassembled in the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Geronimo's Story of His Life|Geronimo
European fruits, flowers, and vegetables can be easily and largely cultivated on the highest plateaux of the Sierra Maestra.
Cuba Past and Present|Richard Davey
We have observed them as far up as corn grows on the foothills of the sierra.
Wild Spain (Espaa agreste)|Abel Chapman
While on his way home, on leave of absence, he died at Sierra Leone on the 30th of November 1864.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
Desert plains back, and still back lofty Sierra Nevadas, their sides covered with the evergreen pine, their summits with snow.
Journal of a Trip to California by the Overland Route Across the Plains in 1850-51|E. S. (Eleazer Stillman) Ingalls

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

sierran, adjective

Word 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

Science definitions for sierra

sierra

[ sē-ĕr′ə ]

A high, rugged range of mountains having an irregular outline somewhat like the teeth of a saw.