EOI - Hilly landscape and abrupt terrain

EOI

sierra sierra: Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in south-eastern Spain, near Granada.

massif /mæsˈiːf, ˈmæsiːf/ macizo: The Massif Central is an upland area in south-central France.

mount monte [used before a proper noun]: Mount Everest ^ Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.

(mountain) range cordillera: a range of mountains

peak pico snow-capped mountain peaks picos nevados: This is one of the highest peaks in the country.

pass puerto, paso: The mountain pass had been closed. ^ Yellowhead Pass

hill - hillock - mound / knoll - rise

hill monte, colina: She gazed at the hills of Málaga ^ a steep/wooded hill

hillock /ˈhɪlək/ (especially British English) altozano, montículo: I reached the top of the hillock.

mound / knoll /maʊnd, nəʊl/ montículo, loma: They went over the mound. ^ a Bronze Age burial mound ^ a wooded/grassy knoll

rise loma, pendiente: The landscape there features rises, mounds and hills.

hillside / mountainside ladera (de monte) / ladera (de montaña): hillside farms

foothills estribaciones on the foothills of en las estribaciones de: a village on the foothills of the Pyrenees

volcano volcán: an extinct/dormant volcano ^ When did the volcano last erupt?

Supervolcanos

Underneath Yellowstone National Park, USA, lies an active supervolcano, which ‒ in the event of an eruption ‒ would have catastrophic consequences for the entire planet.

cliff precipicio; acantilado: sheer cliffs ^ He fell off a cliff.

precipice /ˈpresɪpɪs/ precipicio: His house stood on the edge of a precipice.

bluff risco: The bluff overlooked the river.

bank terraplén: a grassy/steep bank

scree /skriː/ pedregal [on a mountainside]: We could hear the rattle of loose scree.

crag peñasco, pared rocosa: a granite crag

craggy /ˈkrægi/ rocoso,-sa, escarpado,-da: craggy peaks ^ a craggy coastline

outcrop /ˈaʊtkrɒp/ (also outcropping /ˈaʊtkrɒpɪŋ/) afloramiento rocoso: We were sitting atop an outcrop, gazing at the distant hills.

rugged /ˈrʌgɪd/ accidentado,-da, escabroso,-sa, agreste: rugged terrain

escarpment /ɪˈskɑːpmənt/ escarpa [a steep slope]: The fort stood on the edge of an escarpment.

ridge cresta: The ridge seemed massive from the road.

crest cima (de la cresta): We were approaching the crest of the hill.

heath /hiːθ/ (also heathland /ˈhiːθlənd/) brezal: The largest heath in East Sussex is Ashdown Forest.

moor /mɔː, mʊə/; moorland /ˈmɔːlənd, ˈmʊələnd/ (also moorlands plural) páramo [similar to heath, but this kind of landscape looks more desolate]: The Brontë sisters lived in the Yorkshire moors.

canyon - gorge - ravine - defile - gully - glen

canyon /ˈkænjən/ cañón: Last year, we visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

gorge /gɔːʤ/ garganta, cañón: Bart Simpson once tried to jump the Springfield gorge on his skateboard.

ravine /rəˈviːn/ barranco [deep, very narrow and with steep sides]: The car plunged into a ravine. ^ a deep ravine

defile /dɪˈfaɪl, ˈdiːfaɪl/ desfiladero: They had to pass through a narrow mountain defile.

gully /ˈgʌli/ cañada: The body was found in a gully.

glen /glen/ valle estrecho, cañada [especially in Scotland and Ireland]: He headed up the glen towards the ridge. ^ the Scottish glens

IDIOMS

it doesn't amount to a hill of beans (American English, informal) no vale un pimiento: That's nothing. It doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

be as old as the hills ser muy antiguo,-gua, ser tan antiguo,-gua como el andar para adelante: The idea of Romeo and Juliet is as old as the hills.

be over the hill no estar para muchos trotes, estar para el arrastre: I'm only 50, not over the hill yet. Actually, I'm on top of the hill.

up hill and down dale por todas partes, cuesta arriba y cuesta abajo: We spent most of the day walking up hill and down dale.

Next: Flat landscape and tracts of land

Previous: Landscape (General vocabulary)

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