chain of mountains
1
3.0
- noun
- /tʃeɪn əv ˈmaʊntənz/
:
cordillera
- Barrallier continued to search for a route across the mountains, but eventually gave up, realizing that the "chain of mountains... could only be ascended by making almost superhuman efforts" (50).
Examples
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The chain of mountains stretching up the continent from New Mexico to Montana, Idaho, Washington, and beyond dominated the cities and their inhabitants in the valleys and plains below as a towering geological fact.
Fiction book (2000) -
They also appear to regard the "Erzgebirge" as a town (147), when in fact they are a chain of mountains.
Academic text (1999) -
We were heading for an obscure mountain range that we knew about, a small chain of mountains in the central part of the state that were not even on any map: the Loyal Mountains.
Fiction book (1990) -
He had felt his eyes get moist when he saw the blue chain of mountains to the west as the bus swung through the foothills.
Fiction book (1999) -
The trail offered stunning views of the chain of mountains that formed a natural border between the two countries.
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We spent the weekend hiking through the picturesque chain of mountains that stretches across the national park.
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Photographers flock to this area to capture the breathtaking sunrise over the chain of mountains in the distance.
Synonyms
71
2.5
A connected line of hills or mountains
20
1.8
A long line of connected mountains that forms a high area
15
7.0
A line of connected hills or mountains
1
2.3
A long line of high land with many peaks joined together
1
2.9
A long line of high land with many connected peaks
1
7.9
A long group of connected mountain ranges, like the Andes in South America
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a series of mountains or hills connected in a line' is directly and literally derived from combining 'chain' (a linked succession) with 'mountains', with 'of' simply linking the constituents. This compositional, non-metaphorical pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Chain of mountains comes from the picture of mountains joined like a chain. Each mountain is like a link, so the phrase means 'a line of connected mountains'.