mesa
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.me·sa
noun \ˈmā-sə\Definition of MESA
: an isolated relatively flat-topped natural elevation usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau; also : a broad terrace with an abrupt slope on one side : bench
See Examples of MESA
- <a mesa in the Arizona desert>
Origin of MESA
Spanish, literally, table, from Latin mensa
First Known Use: 1840
Other Geology Terms
Rhymes with MESA
Me·sa
geographical name \ˈmā-sə\mesa
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)(Spanish: “table”) Flat-topped tableland with one or more steep sides, common in the Colorado Plateau regions of the U.S.; a butte is similar but smaller. Both are formed by erosion; during denudation, or downcutting and stripping, areas of harder rock in a plateau act as flat protective caps for portions of underlying land situated between such places as stream valleys, where erosion is especially active. This results in a table mountain (mesa) or fortress hill.
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