bajada

noun

ba·​ja·​da

variants or less commonly bahada

bəˈhädə

plural -s

1

Southwest : a steep curved descending road or trail

2

: a broad alluvial slope extending from the base of a mountain range out into a basin and formed by coalescence of separate alluvial fans

Word History

Etymology

Spanish bajada slope, descent, from feminine of bajado, past participle of bajar to descend, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin bassiare, from Late Latin bassus fat, short, low

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!