Tenerife

or Ten·er·iffe

[ ten-uh-rif, -reef; Spanish te-ne-ree-fe ]

/ ˌtɛn əˈrɪf, -ˈrif; Spanish ˌtɛ nɛˈri fɛ /

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noun

the largest of the Canary Islands, off the northwestern coast of Africa. 794 sq. mi. (2,055 sq. km). Capital: Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Pi·co de Tenerife

[pee-koh dey; Spanish pee-kaw the]. /ˈpi koʊ deɪ; Spanish ˈpi kɔ ðɛ/. Pico de Teide.

QUIZ

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Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

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Origin of Tenerife

First recorded in 1595–1600; from Guanche (an extinct Berber language spoken on the Canary Islands) tene, teni “mountain” + ife “white,” specifically Mount Teide

Words nearby Tenerife

tenebrism, tenebrous, tenectomy, Tenedos, tenement, Tenerife, tenesmic, tenesmus, tenet, tenfold, ten-four

How to use Tenerife in a sentence

The largest loss of life in any incident was at Tenerife in 1977 when two Boeing 747s collided in fog, killing 583 people.
Forty-Five Minutes of Chaos in the Sky|Clive Irving|November 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST
From this time to our arrival at Tenerife we had moderate weather and winds mostly from the northward.
A Voyage to the South Sea|William Bligh
The next day at nine in the forenoon we saw the island of Tenerife bearing west-south-west half west about twelve leagues distant.
A Voyage to the South Sea|William Bligh
There was a calm all that day and night, and in the morning he found himself between Gomera and Tenerife.
The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985-1503|Various

They saw a great fire issue from the mountain of the island of Tenerife, which is of great height.
The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985-1503|Various
We were not so fortunate on this occasion as to obtain a distant sea view of the far-famed peak of Tenerife.
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1.|J Lort Stokes

British Dictionary definitions for Tenerife

Tenerife

/ (ˌtɛnəˈriːf, Spanish teneˈrife) /

noun

a Spanish island in the Atlantic, off the NW coast of Africa: the largest of the Canary Islands; volcanic and mountainous; tourism and agriculture. Capital: Santa Cruz. Pop: 778 071 (2002 est). Area: 2058 sq km (795 sq miles)

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