Lushootseed

[luh-shoot-seed]

noun

1. a Coast Salish language spoken by approximately 20 peoples from northern Oregon to central British Columbia.

adjective

1. of or relating to Lushootseed, a Coast Salish language spoken from northern Oregon to central British Columbia, or to its speakers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lushootseed¹

First recorded in 1975–80; from Lushootseed xʷəlšucid, dxʷləšúcid, txʷəlšucid “language of the Puget Sound region,” a self-designation, derived from -ləš- “Puget Sound region” + dxʷ- ... -úcid “language”

Example Sentences

LaPointe wears two silver customized name necklaces, one in English and one in her Indigenous language of Lushootseed.

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She was given her traditional Skagit name, taqʷšəblu, after her great-grandmother Vi taqʷšəblu Hilbert, a linguist who helped preserve the Lushootseed language.

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In Lushootseed, Puyallup people are known as puyaləpabš, meaning “people from the bend at the bottom of the river.”

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In the year since Chief Seattle Club opened the ʔálʔal Café, staffers say the business is living up to its Lushootseed name, which means “home.”

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Gobin said she still doesn’t speak Lushootseed well, but she’s watching her grandchildren learn.

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