Nisqually

American  

[nis-kwawl-ee] / ˌnɪsˈkwɔl i /

noun

Nisquallies, plural Nisqually plural

1. a member of a Lushootseed-speaking Indigenous people of western Washington State.

2. a river flowing from Mount Rainier through the Cascade Range to Puget Sound. 78 miles (126 km) long.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Nisqually.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Nisquallies
  plural
• Nisqually
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Nisqually

First recorded in 1820–30; from Lushootseed dxwsqwə́li, a place name used by this people on Puget Sound

Example Sentences

For example, the rupture that caused the 6.8 magnitude Nisqually earthquake in the Pacific Northwest in 2001 started about 32 miles beneath the seafloor.

From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026

Championing salmon issues came naturally to him as an outdoorsman, schooled by Nisqually tribal leaders now through two generations that if salmon are doing well, that is also good for people.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2024

To wit: Mount St. Helens’ eruption in 1980; the Nisqually quake in 2001; and the Oso slide in 2014.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2024

In 2001, the magnitude-6.8 Nisqually earthquake shook the region, causing widespread destruction, including alarming damage to the viaduct’s support structure.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2024

We drove to a small boat packed with fishing gear that was tied down on the edge of the Nisqually.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann