cordillera
See also: Cordillera
English
Etymology
From Spanish cordillera, from Old Spanish cordilla, cordiella, diminutive of cuerda (“a rope, string”). See cord.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌkɔː(ɹ)dɪˈljɛəɹə/, /ˌkɔː(ɹ)diˈɛəɹə/
Noun
cordillera (plural cordilleras)
- (geography) An extensive, continent-wide chain of mountains, especially one in the Americas.
- Meronym: sierra
Derived terms
- American Cordillera
- Arctic Cordillera
- Pacific Cordillera
- Western Cordillera
Related terms
Translations
Translations
|
Spanish
Etymology
Inherited from Old Spanish cordilla, cordiella, diminutive of cuerda (“a rope, string”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /koɾdiˈʝeɾa/ [koɾ.ð̞iˈʝe.ɾa] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain and Latin America)
- IPA(key): /koɾdiˈʎeɾa/ [koɾ.ð̞iˈʎe.ɾa] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
- IPA(key): /koɾdiˈʃeɾa/ [koɾ.ð̞iˈʃe.ɾa] (Buenos Aires and environs)
- IPA(key): /koɾdiˈʒeɾa/ [koɾ.ð̞iˈʒe.ɾa] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)
- Rhymes: -eɾa
- Syllabification: cor‧di‧lle‧ra
Noun
cordillera f (plural cordilleras)
- (geography) cordillera (extensive mountain range)
- Synonym: sierra
- (South America) ellipsis of cordillera de los Andes
Derived terms
Descendants
- → English: cordillera
- → French: cordillère
- → Italian: cordigliera
- → Portuguese: cordilheira
Further reading
- “cordillera”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025