sierra

[ see-er-uh ]

noun

1. a chain of hills or mountains, the peaks of which suggest the teeth of a saw.
2. any of several Spanish mackerels of the genus Scomberomorus, especially S. sierra, found in western North America.
3. a word used in communications to represent the letter S.

Sierra

¹

/ sɪˈɛərə /

noun

1. communications a code word for the letter s

sierra

²

/ sɪˈɛərə /

noun

1. a range of mountains with jagged peaks, esp in Spain or America

sierra

/ sē-ĕr′ə /

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

Derived Forms

• siˈerran, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sierra¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sierra¹

C17: from Spanish, literally: saw, from Latin serra; see serrate

Example Sentences

After all, “sierra” is Spanish for “mountain” — and, as one Redditor put it, “dew is just resting mist.”

From Washington Post

From the northern border to the western sierra to the Gulf Coast, hundreds of Mexican communities have been under curfew and quarantine for years.

From Washington Times

Although it was just for a moment, the peak of Breath of the Wild’s sierra reminded me of how I felt when I physically pulled myself up a Himalayan mountain.

From The Verge

“Mexican Mormons, innocent women and children were ambushed in the Chihuahua sierra, shot and burned alive by the Cartels that rule in Mexico!”

From Seattle Times

Amlo has promised to pull the marginalized sierra out of poverty, providing legal employment for its inhabitants and expanding services after centuries of neglect.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• alp
• bluff
• butte
• cliff
• crag
• elevation
• eminence
• height
• mesa
• mount
• palisade
• peak
• pike
• precipice
• range
• ridge
• sierra
• tor
• volcano