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You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
TAKE THE QUIZaltiplano
noun
al·ti·pla·no
ˌal-ti-ˈplä-(ˌ)nō 
plural altiplanos
: a high plateau or plain : tableland
Example Sentences
a cold wind from the Andes swept across the altiplano
Recent Examples on the Web
The landscape changed around me; condensing from plains, desert, and mountains into the jungles of Central America, then unfolding in reverse, into the expanse of the altiplano.
—
J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2022
Which is why Steve Ruff, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University and a key player in the Home Plate analysis, traveled thousands of miles to El Tatio, a series of hot springs in the rare air of Chile’s altiplano.
—Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2016
The world's largest salt flat covers 4,000 square miles of Bolivian altiplano.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2021
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
See More
J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2022
Which is why Steve Ruff, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University and a key player in the Home Plate analysis, traveled thousands of miles to El Tatio, a series of hot springs in the rare air of Chile’s altiplano.
—Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2016
The world's largest salt flat covers 4,000 square miles of Bolivian altiplano.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2021
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'altiplano.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
American Spanish, from Latin altus + planum plain
First Known Use
1919, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near altiplano
Cite this Entry
“Altiplano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altiplano. Accessed 9 Feb. 2023.
More from Merriam-Webster on altiplano
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about altiplano
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