CORDILLERA

Etymology

Noun

cordillera (plural cordilleras)

An extensive, continent-wide chain of mountains, especially one in the Americas.

Proper noun

Cordillera (plural er-noun)

A province of Bolivia, see Cordillera Province (Bolivia)

A province of Chile, see Cordillera Province, Chile

A department in Paraguay, see Cordillera Department

A region of Philippines, see Cordillera Autonomous Region

Source: Wiktionary

Cor*dil"ler*a (kr-dl"lr-; Sp. kr`d-ly"r), n. Etym: [Sp., fr. OSp. cordilla, cordiella, dim. of cuerda a rope, string. See Cord.] (Geol.)

Definition: A mountain ridge or chain.

Note: Cordillera is sometimes applied, in geology, to the system of mountain chains near the border of a continent; thus, the western cordillera of North America in the United States includes the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Coast and Cascade ranges.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition