mesa

noun

me·​sa ˈmā-sə How to pronounce mesa (audio)
: 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

Examples of mesa in a Sentence

a mesa in the Arizona desert
Recent Examples on the Web The central summit area is marked by several elevated mesas forming an arc, reaching a regional high and sloping downhill away from the summit area. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024 Wildflowers suddenly appear in the most unlikely places: the huge Kelso Dunes in March and April; the volcanic Cima Cinder Cones in March and Cima Dome in April; and the park’s higher mesas and mountains in May. Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 The canyon’s iron way, a series of sturdy iron bars that rise up the 450-foot cliff, guides climbers back to the mesa as views of southern Utah’s iconic red rocks unfold at their backs. Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 The projects were designed to pump water uphill to reservoirs atop Black Mesa during periods of low electricity prices, enabling the generation of electricity and revenue from the return flows to reservoirs below the mesa when prices were higher. The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 De Jong built hers from scratch on a barren mesa scouted in New Mexico that offered epic 360 views. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024 The cultural significance of this place isn’t evident to many, even though the mesa, which is about 12 acres, has long been mired in land-use battles. Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2023 On a mesa backdropped by the Jemez Mountains, the place now known as Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the surrounding town were created during World War II, when the government acquired a boys' school and land from homesteaders and Indigenous people on the Pajarito Plateau. Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 Claudia Mitchell, a potter from Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, gathers clay on a mesa between two sandstone rock formations, hammer and pick at the ready. Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mesa.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, table, from Latin mensa

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mesa was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near mesa

Cite this Entry

“Mesa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesa. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mesa

noun
me·​sa ˈmā-sə How to pronounce mesa (audio)
: a flat-topped hill or small plateau with steep sides
Etymology

Spanish, literally, "table"

Geographical Definition

Mesa

geographical name

Me·​sa ˈmā-sə How to pronounce Mesa (audio)
city east of Phoenix in southwest central Arizona population 439,041

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