Chehalis

American  

[shuh-hey-lis] / ʃəˈheɪ lɪs /

noun

plural

Chehalises,

plural

Chehalis

1. a river flowing from southwestern Washington State through western Washington State to the Pacific Ocean. 125 miles (201 km) long.

2. a member of an Indigenous people in western Washington State traditionally living in and around the basin of the Chehalis River.

3. either of the two Salishan languages of the Chehalis.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Chehalis or their languages.

Etymology

Origin of Chehalis

First recorded in 1850–55; from Lower Chehalis (a member of the Coast Salish branch of Salishan languages) Tsalis “sandy place” or Chikelis (also c̓x̣íľəs ) “shifting sands,” the name of a village in Grays Harbor County, Washington State

Example Sentences

Because the shooting involved Chehalis Tribal Officers in their jurisdiction, the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs were contacted, the sheriff’s office said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023

In a Thursday letter, the state cited levels of returning natural spawning coho above the 10-year average to date in one tributary of the Chehalis River.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2023

In fact, camas are now so abundant on the property, which is not treated with herbicides, that members of the Chehalis Tribe plan to harvest bulbs, a traditional food, next year.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2023

Along with members of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, which owns some adjacent land, Hamman and her colleagues plan to burn some of Noyes’ pastures later this year to help control tansy ragwort.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2023

He had grown up in Monte- sano, a foggy little logging town on the Chehalis River in southwestern Washington.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown