Andes

[ an-deez ]

plural noun

1. a mountain range in western South America, extending about 4,500 miles (7,250 kilometers) from northern Colombia and Venezuela south to Cape Horn. Highest peak, Aconcagua, 22,834 feet (6,960 meters).

Andes

/ ˈændiːz /

plural noun

1. a major mountain system of South America, extending for about 7250 km (4500 miles) along the entire W coast, with several parallel ranges or cordilleras and many volcanic peaks: rich in minerals, including gold, silver, copper, iron ore, and nitrates. Average height: 3900 m (13 000 ft). Highest peak: Aconcagua, 6960 m (22 835 ft)

Andes

1. Mountain system in South America running over 4,500 miles along the entire length of South America's Pacific Ocean coast.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Andes¹

First recorded in 1815–20; from Spanish, from Quechua andi “high crest”

Example Sentences

The microbiologists used the novel approach on Atacama soil samples collected from the desert along a west-to-east swath from the ocean's edge to the foothills of the Andes mountains.

From Science Daily

They argue that it is not Spanish treasure because it was plundered by the Spanish from mines in the Andes during the colonial period.

From BBC

The soldiers who were sentenced on Tuesday had been deployed to the districts of Manta and Vilca, in the Andes mountains.

From BBC

That reference to exile “is like a warning of territorial limits,” explains co-author Lozada Mendieta, an anthropologist at the University of the Andes.

From Science Magazine

The mountainous regions of the world — the Himalayas, the Andes, the East African highlands — are thawing as average global temperatures climb.

From Salon

Related Words

• sierra