Salish

[ sey-lish ]

/ ˈseɪ lɪʃ /

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noun

a member of any of various North American Indian peoples speaking a Salishan language.

Also called Mon·tan·a Sa·lish [mon-tan-uh-sey-lish], /mɒnˈtæn ə ˈseɪ lɪʃ/, Sé·liš [sel-ish] /ˈsɛl ɪʃ/ . an Interior Salish language of Montana and Washington spoken by the Flathead, Spokane, and Kalispel peoples.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Salishan languages or their speakers.

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Origin of Salish

First recorded in 1840–50; from Southern Interior Salish séʔliš literally, Flathead¹, a self-designation

Words nearby Salish

salinometer, Salique, Salisbury, Salisbury Plain, Salisbury steak, Salish, Salishan, saliva, salivary gland, salivary glands, salivate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Salish in a sentence

Among the Interior Salish they were commonly made of wood, which was afterwards covered with hide.
Homer and His Age|Andrew Lang
These houses are sometimes 40 by 100 feet in the Nootka and Salish regions, and are occupied by a number of families.
The Myths of the North American Indians|Lewis Spence
Further south are the Salish tribes, who have evolved something like the modern family, reckoning on both sides of the house.
The Secret of the Totem|Andrew Lang
On the northeast Salish territory extended to about the fifty-third parallel.
Indian Linguistic Families Of America, North Of Mexico|John Wesley Powell

He further states that floral designs are found among the Salish tribes but to a much less extent.
The Archaeology of the Yakima Valley|Harlan Ingersoll Smith

British Dictionary definitions for Salish

Salish

Salishan (ˈseɪlɪʃən, ˈsæl-)

/ (ˈseɪlɪʃ) /

noun

a family of North American Indian languages spoken in the northwestern US and W Canada

the Salish (functioning as plural) the peoples collectively who speak these languages, divided in Canada into the Coast Salish and the Interior Salish

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012