French word

sierra

Pronunciation

IPA/sjɛʁa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounmountain range

Example

On a traversé la sierra en voiture.

We crossed the mountain range by car.

Illustration for sierra (mountain range)

More examples

Les villages au pied de la sierra vivent surtout de l'agriculture.

The villages at the foot of the mountain range make their living mainly from agriculture.

Core concept

A mountainous belt rising as a sharp, uneven ridge.

Similar words

montagne: A high, prominent landform shaped like a large hill.
chaîne: Several mountains arranged in a continuous chain.
massif: A broad mountain formation consisting of closely grouped peaks.
colline: A low, gently rounded rise of land.

Definition in French

Désigne un massif ou une chaîne montagneuse, employé surtout pour désigner un massif nommé ou régional.

Word origin

The French noun sierra is a Spanish borrowing from Latin serra, 'saw', whose shape provided the comparison for a jagged mountain chain.

Usage tips

  • French uses dans la sierra for location and traverser la sierra for movement through the range.

Opposites

  • la valléethe valleynoun

Word lists with this word