%cordillera%

n. [ Sp., fr. OSp. cordilla, cordiella, dim. of cuerda a rope, string. See Cord. ] (Geol.) A mountain ridge or chain. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]