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

Michelle Goodman, 30, was arrested Monday by Chehalis police.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024

The exception is the Chehalis River, where the portion from Porter to Grays Harbor is expected to crest Thursday into early Friday, the weather service said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2023

Valley Transit, which serves Walla Walla County, made the same call, as did Twin Transit, which serves Centralia and Chehalis in Lewis County, Twin Transit operations manager Maggie McCarthy said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 13, 2023

That means building robust partnerships between K-12 school districts and colleges, making it easier for students to apply — and even register for classes — before they’ve graduated high school, as happens in Chehalis.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 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