Salish

[sey-lish]

noun

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

Origin of Salish

From the Southern Interior Salish word séʔliš Flatheads

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for salish

Among the Salish the day is divided according to the position of the sun into nine parts.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1|Hubert Howe Bancroft
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
Most of the Salish in the United States are on reservations.
Indian Linguistic Families Of America, North Of Mexico|John Wesley Powell

The Tushepaw nation might as correctly be included in the Salish family or omitted altogether.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1|Hubert Howe Bancroft

British Dictionary definitions for salish

Salish

Salishan (ˈseɪlɪʃən, ˈsæl-)

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

Word Origin and History for salish

Salish

self-designation of the Native American people of Montana also known as Flathead, from a term containing -ish "people." The language group that includes their tongue has been called Salishan.