Cordilleras

[ kawr-dl-yair-uhz, -air-, kawr-dil-er-uhz; Spanish kawr-thee-ye-rahs ]

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.

Cordilleras

/ korðiˈʎeras; ˌkɔːdɪlˈjɛərəz /

plural noun

1. the Cordilleras
   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

Other Words From

• Cordil·leran adjective
• trans-Cor·dil·leran adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cordilleras¹

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

Example Sentences

Probably those cast-iron wheels were ordered with a view to steam locomotion in the Cordilleras.

From Project Gutenberg

It is obtained in the Cordilleras, at the distance of about twenty-eight leagues from Lima.

From Project Gutenberg

On the eastern declivity of the Cordilleras I found no capsicum at a greater height than 4800 feet above the level of the sea.

From Project Gutenberg

The journey is of sixteen or twenty days' duration, and the road lies across two of the Cordilleras.

From Project Gutenberg

The very interesting province of Yauyos extends from this village in an easterly direction towards the Cordilleras.

From Project Gutenberg