Coeur d'Alene

American  

[kur dl-eyn, kawr dl-eyn] / ˌkɜr dlˈeɪn, ˌkɔr dlˈeɪn /

Or Coeur d'Alêne

noun

Coeur d'Alenes, plural Coeur d'Alene plural

1. Also called Schitsu’umsh.  a member of an Indigenous people in northern Idaho and southern Washington State around Coeur d'Alene Lake.

2. Also called Schitsu'umshtsn.  the Salishan language of the Coeur d'Alene.

3. a city in northern Idaho.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Coeur d'Alene or their language.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Coeur d'Alene
  plural
• Coeur d'Alenes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Coeur d'Alene

First recorded in 1804–06 in the Lewis and Clark expedition; from French Coeur d'Alêne “heart of (an) awl,” of disputed meaning; possibly applied by French traders to a stingy tribal chief, possibly applied by a tribal chief's description of the size of a French trader's heart, or possibly referring to the sharpness of the trading skills of the native people in their dealings with the traders

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Coeur d'Alene

“They didn’t even know what they had,” Sunshine general manager Tom Henderson last year told the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber, which posted a video of his presentation online.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Steve Holland had to cut the price of his $1.895 million house near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho by 12% before he got a buyer.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 20, 2025

"We did lose a Coeur d'Alene firefighter, and we did lose a firefighter from the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue."

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025

Borrenpohl's lawsuit comes shortly after the Coeur d’Alene City Prosecutor’s office brought charges against the security guards.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2025

Another teen reporter, Jax Jones from Coeur d’Alene High, took her picture shaking hands with Mayor Ellis.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti