sierra

plural sierras

1. countableuncountableA rugged range of mountains.

   Meronym: sawback

   1 more example

   Holonym: cordillera

2. countableuncountableinternational standardsAlternative letter-case form of Sierra from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.
3. countableuncountableA scombroid fish.
4. uncountableA relatively low-quality grade of Spanish saffron.

   Mancha selecto is the world's best saffron: deep-red stamens, as long as the first joint of your thumb, packed and date-stamped. Lesser types, like sierra saffron, have shorter stamens and a quantity of white and yellow flower parts.

   2005, Karen Anand, International Cooking With Karen Anand, page 77

alternative Cierra

1. A female given name of modern American usage, from the Spanish noun, confused with Ciara and Sarah.
2. A surname from Spanish.

alternative Cierra

1. USabbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Sierra Nevada: a mountain range in the Western United States.

   I am going to the Sierra next weekend.

   2 more examples

   Most flocks in the Sierra and the Rocky Mountains live above the timber-line and at an altitude of twelve thousand feet.

   1915 April 28, Enos A. Mills, “Wild Mountain Sheep”, in The Rocky Mountain Wonderland, Houghton Mifflin, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 37

   Los Angeles would still be a piddling little town in a desert if it weren’t for Sierra snowmelt and city officials crafty enough to snooker eastern California farmers out of their water rights.

   2023 August 6, Daniel Duane, “It’s August. Californians Are Still Skiing. Don’t Ask.”, in The New York Times