Rocky Mountains

[rok-ee moun-tnz]

plural noun

1. the chief mountain system in North America, extending from central New Mexico to northern Alaska. Highest peak, Denali, 20,300 feet (6,187 meters).

Rocky Mountains

plural noun

1. the chief mountain system of W North America, extending from British Columbia to New Mexico: forms the Continental Divide. Highest peak: Mount Elbert, 4399 m (14 431 ft). Mount McKinley (6194 m (20 320 ft)), in the Alaska Range, is not strictly part of the Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

1. Major mountain chain of western North America, running from Alaska to Mexico.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Rocky Mountains¹

First recorded in 1800–05; translation of Canadian French les Montagnes des Roches, from Cree asini˙waciya, plural of asini˙waciy, equivalent to asini˙-, combining form of asiniy “stone, rock” + waciy “mountain,” originally referring to the Canadian Rockies

Example Sentences

She asked the audience to close their eyes, place a hand over their hearts and feel the weight of their bodies in the seats and the surrounding Rocky Mountains holding them safe.

From Los Angeles Times

He had constantly been asked by Zerlentes to return to Fort Collins, the former military outpost nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and promised he soon would.

From BBC

The meager snowpack in the Rocky Mountains this winter has again shrunk the amount of runoff, increasing the risks the river’s depleted reservoirs could decline to critically low levels.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead the three-day gathering in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta will inevitably be focused on war in the Middle East.

From BBC

The Colorado River provides water for cities from Denver to San Diego, 30 Native tribes and farmlands from the Rocky Mountains to northern Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• sierra