Chehalis

American  

[shuh-hey-lis] / ʃəˈheɪ lɪs /

noun

Chehalises plural

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.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• Chehalis
  plural
• Chehalises
  plural

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

Kids who are sentenced to further detention after their cases resolve are generally transferred to one of two state-run facilities: Echo Glen in Snoqualmie or Green Hill School in Chehalis.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2024

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

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

Selena Kearney, an artist and Chehalis tribal member, was fascinated by the power that those costumes held.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 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