highlands

H4I1G2H4L1A1N1D2S1

noun

A high area of land, lands higher than surrounding areas.

OriginEnglish lands ← Middle English heigh ← Old English hēah →
CommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

highlands1

nounhighlands pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyA high area of land, lands higher than surrounding areas.

    However, between Monrovia (6°20'N/10°46'W) and Buchanan (5°57'N/10°02'W) highlands approach to within 25 km of the coast. East of Buchanan the lowlands reach nearly 100 km inland, in the Cestos Valley, but narrow again to 30 km towards the eastern border.

    (Can we date this quote?), “Liberia”, in Wetlands.org, archived from the original on 28 Jul 2011, page 1
    1 more example

    One of Ethiopia's most popular traditional dances, eskista, which is said to have originated from the lower highlands of Ethiopia's Amhara region, exemplifies the type of multi-functionality that Martin (1967) acknowledges as it is performed in many different settings of the Ethiopian community.

    2018 February 20, Adesola Akinleye, Narratives in Black British Dance: Embodied Practices, →ISBN, page 195

Highlands2

proper noun(the) Highlands pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyThe mountainous northern area of Scotland.
  2. pluralplural onlyA town in Orange County, New York, United States.
  3. pluralplural onlyA borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.
  4. pluralplural onlyA locality in the Shire of Mitchell and the Shire of Murrindindi, central Victoria, Australia.

Synonyms & antonyms

Broader
Scotland
Also see
high countrymountain rangeupcountry

Origin

highlands · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kewk-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kówkos
  3. Proto-Germanic*hauhaz
  4. Proto-West Germanic*hauh
  5. Old Englishhēah
  6. Middle Englishheigh
  7. Englishhigh
  8. Englishlands
  9. Englishhighlands

From high + lands.

Full word history & related roots →

Highlands · proper noun

Specific application of highlands, equivalent to high + lands.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian възвишения
  • възвишения (văzvišenija)area of high land
Catalan Terres altes d'Escòcia
  • Terres altes d'Escòciaarea of Scotland
Esperanto altaĵaro
  • altaĵaroarea of high land
Finnish Skotlannin ylämaa
  • Skotlannin ylämaaarea of Scotland
French hautes terres, Highlands
  • hautes terresarea of high land
  • Highlandsarea of Scotland
  • Hautes-Terresarea of Scotland
German Hochland
  • Hochlandarea of high land
Hebrew רמה
  • רמה (ramah)area of high land
Irish na Garbhchríocha
  • na Garbhchríochaarea of Scotland
Italian acrocoro
  • acrocoroarea of high land
Polish wyżyny, Highlands
  • wyżynyarea of high land
  • Highlandsarea of Scotland
Portuguese terras altas
  • terras altasarea of high land
Scottish Gaelic a' Ghàidhealtachd
  • a' Ghàidhealtachdarea of Scotland
Spanish tierras altas
  • tierras altasarea of high land
Swedish högland
  • höglandarea of high land
Welsh Ucheldir
  • Ucheldirarea of Scotland
Cite this entry
APA

highlands. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/highlands

MLA

“highlands.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/highlands. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “highlands,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/highlands.

Source: highlands on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.