tule

American  

[too-lee, too-le] / ˈtu li, ˈtu lɛ /

noun

tules plural

1. either of two large bulrushes, Scirpus lacustris or S. acutus, found in California and adjacent regions in inundated lands and marshes.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• tules
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tule

1830–40, < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl tōlin

Example Sentences

Then, for years, tule fog seemed to form less often.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

This tule fog upended that trend, thanks to the exceptional fall weather conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

On Thanksgiving Day, parts of Kern County also experienced tule fog.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

Dome-shaped homes covered in tule, called ki, dotted the landscape.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2025

We journeyed about three or four leagues and stopped at a high spot which had a number of oak trees but was entirely surrounded by tule swamps.

From Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820 Anthropological Records 16(6):239-292, 1958 by Cook, Sherburne Friend