Wakashan
[ wah-kash-uhn, waw-kuh-shan ]
noun
a family of Indigenous languages spoken in British Columbia and the state of Washington and including especially Kwakiutl and Nuu-chah-nulth.
Origin of Wakashan
1First recorded in 1890–95; coined by J.W. Powell from Wakash, used as the name of a Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) subgroup but originally a misapplication of Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) wa·ka·š “bravo!” + -an
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British Dictionary definitions for Wakashan
Wakashan
/ (wɑːˈkæʃən, ˈwɔːkəˌʃɑːn) /
noun
a family of North American Indian languages of British Columbia and Washington, including Kwakiutl and Nootka
a speaker of any of these languages
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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