Category:Cordillera

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.)

Defn: 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.