sierra nevada
sierra nevada Lexical Profile
• noun
American A major mountain range in western North America, running primarily along the eastern edge of the U.S. state of California, renowned for its dramatic granite peaks, alpine lakes, and distinct national parks such as Yosemite.
"We spent our summer vacation hiking the rugged, high-altitude trails of the Sierra Nevada."
A mountain range located in the region of Andalusia in southern Spain, known as a popular skiing destination and containing Mulhacén, the highest peak in continental Spain.
"The professional cycling team traveled to the Sierra Nevada in Spain for a rigorous period of high-altitude training."
Word Nuance & Usage
In American English, the California mountain range is colloquially referred to as 'the Sierras', though geologists and environmentalists often prefer the singular 'the Sierra' because the Spanish word already denotes a plural-like range.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed directly from Spanish 'sierra nevada', literally translating to 'snowy mountain range' (from 'sierra', meaning 'saw' or 'jagged mountain range', and 'nevada', meaning 'snowy').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.