Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pyrenees

/ˈpɪɹəˌniz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.87 in modern English

Syllables: pyre-nees
IPA: /ˈpɪɹəˌniz/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The mountain range separating Spain from France, inhabited by Basques in the west, Occitans in the centre-north, Aragonese in the centre-south, and Catalans in the east.

name

A wine-producing region and local government area (Shire of Pyrenees) in Victoria, Australia.

Example Sentences

"The summit of the climb came 38km from the end of stage 14, which began in Limoux and ended in Foix in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and the incident occurred as the peloton emerged into the light and passed under the banner at the top, a quarter of an hour behind a five-man breakaway."

Etymology

From Middle English Pireneies, partly from Middle French Pyrenees and partly from Latin Pȳrēnaeī (montēs) (literally “Pyrenean (mountains)”), plural of Pȳrēnaeus (“Pyrenean”), from Ancient Greek Πυρηναῖος (Purēnaîos), from Πῡρήνη (Pūrḗnē, “Pyrene”, literally “fruit-stone”) + -αῖος (-aîos). According to mythology, Pyrene was a daughter of King Bebryx who was loved or violated by Heracles; after fleeing into the wilderness and dying, she was buried by him, and the Pyrenees were said to be named after her.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: Pireneies, Pyrenees, Pȳrēnaeī montēs, Πυρηναῖος

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɪɹəˌniz/
British English: /ˌpɪɹəˈniːz/

Inflected Forms

the Pyrenees (canonical, plural) Pyrénées (alternative)

Derived Forms

pyreneite

Frequently Paired Words

Pyrenean

Rhymes With

pyrénées

Questions

How do you pronounce pyrenees?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɪɹəˌniz/.
What does pyrenees mean?: The mountain range separating Spain from France, inhabited by Basques in the west, Occitans in the centre-north, Aragonese in the centre-south, and Catalans in the east.
Where does pyrenees come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce pyrenees

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