cordillera

The word 'cordillera' entered English from Spanish, where cordilla means a small rope or cord. The Spanish term itself is a diminutive of cuerda (rope), which traces back to Latin chorda, from Greek khordḗ (string of a musical instrument, gut). The semantic evolution from "rope" to "mountain chain" is a metaphorical extension, visualizing a long, continuous line of peaks as resembling a rope or cord laid across the landscape. This term was specifically applied by Spanish explorers to the parallel ranges of the Andes, and its usage broadened in English to describe any major mountain system.

Structure: cord (rope) + illera (noun suffix) - cord: From Latin chorda (string, rope of a musical instrument), via Spanish cordilla (small rope). In this word, it functions as a root meaning "rope" or "line." - illera: A Spanish suffix used to form nouns, often indicating a collection or series, derived from Latin -aria.