Quileute

American  

[kwil-yoot, kwil-uh-yoot] / ˈkwɪl yut, ˈkwɪl ə yut /

noun

Quileutes, plural Quileute plural

1. a member of an Indigenous people of western Washington State.

2. the language of the Quileute, also spoken by the Hoh.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Quileute or their language.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• Quileute
  plural
• Quileutes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Quileute

First recorded in 1890–95; from Quilleute (a language of the extinct Chimakuan family of languages formerly spoken on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State) kʷoʔlí·yot’, the name of a village at La Push, a small unincorporated community located at the mouth of the Quillayute River in Clallam County, Washington State

Example Sentences

This past summer, even sopping Sasquatch bergs such as Quileute on the Olympic Peninsula have seen only 42% of normal rainfall since June, with just a little over 3 inches recorded at the Quileute Airport.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2023

A handful of schools in the state use tribal languages for their programs, like Makah, Lushootseed and Quileute.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2022

The Quileute Tribe and the Lummi Nation had each moved significant parts of their reservations to safety.

From Slate • May 28, 2022

Sea Shepherd Legal has argued that the Makah can maintain their traditions without killing whales, pointing to a neighboring tribe, the Quileute, that gave up whaling but holds an annual ceremony for whales.

From New York Times • Nov. 14, 2019

“His dad is one of the Quileute elders.”

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer